Bolivian Cargo Plane Loaded With Banknotes Crashes Near La Paz, Killing At least 15

28th February 2026 at 9:30 AM

1 minute read

Bolivia: At least 15 people have been killed after a Bolivian Air Force cargo plane loaded with newly printed banknotes crashed on a road close to La Paz’s El Alto International Airport, local officials and international news agencies reported. The military Hercules C-130 aircraft veered off the runway on Friday and ploughed into a busy highway, striking roughly a dozen vehicles and injuring numerous others.

Fire Chief Pavel Tovar told Associated Press that authorities have not yet established whether the fatalities occurred among people in cars on the highway or on board the aircraft. He confirmed that emergency teams were responding to multiple injuries at hospitals.

🔴#ATENCIÓN | Un avión de la Fuerza Aérea de Bolivia se estrelló cerca del aeropuerto de El Alto: vehículos terminaron aplastados. Los detalles de la noticia aquí:https://t.co/tbcQNRpZud pic.twitter.com/0SSyQm0FBA
— EL TIEMPO (@ELTIEMPO) February 27, 2026

Footage shared widely on social media showed wreckage strewn across the highway and new Bolívar banknotes scattered along the road after the crash, prompting chaotic scenes as some onlookers tried to pick up the bills. Police in riot gear moved in to prevent crowds from gathering near the crash site.

The Bolivian Ministry of Defence has acknowledged the tragedy and said an investigation is underway, though it has not released details on the exact circumstances that led the transport aircraft to skid off the runway. Officials have offered conflicting reports about whether the plane was taking off or landing at the time of the accident.

Authorities temporarily suspended all flights in and out of the airport as rescue workers cleared the site and recovery operations continued. The C-130 had been flying newly printed currency from the Central Bank of Bolivia to other cities when it went down, according to government statements.

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