Over Twenty Dead as Military Plane Crashes in Bolivia

(MENAFN) A Bolivian military cargo aircraft carrying millions of dollars in central bank funds crashed onto a public road Friday night, killing at least 22 people — among them four children — and injuring dozens more, Health Minister Marcela Flores confirmed Saturday.

Flores disclosed that 37 individuals sustained injuries, with several in critical condition. All victims have since been transferred to public and private medical facilities across El Alto and La Paz, where emergency health protocols were immediately activated to deliver urgent and specialized treatment.

The disaster unfolded late Friday when a Bolivian Air Force Hercules C-130 military transport plane veered off the runway during landing at El Alto International Airport, careening into adjacent public roads. The collision left approximately 20 vehicles destroyed, including public transit buses, and caused widespread devastation across the impact zone.

The aircraft had departed from Santa Cruz on a government mission to transport a significant cash consignment belonging to the Central Bank of Bolivia. Footage circulating from the scene captured the wreckage in stark detail — upturned crates and scattered banknotes strewn across the crash site amid the debris.

Authorities confirmed that several individuals were taken into custody on suspicion of attempting to steal the displaced funds in the aftermath of the disaster.

The crash marks one of the deadliest aviation incidents in Bolivia in recent memory, prompting an immediate national response as investigators work to determine what caused the aircraft to lose its course on landing.

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