At least 11 people have been killed after a Bolivian air force cargo plane crashed in the western city of El Alto, according to media reports.
The incident happened at 18:20 local time (22:20 GMT) on Friday as the plane was arriving at El Alto International Airport after travelling from the city of Santa Cruz, the country’s air traffic control authority said.
It reportedly skidded off the runway and hit vehicles on a nearby motorway. The airport was closed temporarily.
The defence ministry later confirmed its C-130 Hercules was involved and that it had been transporting banknotes to the Central Bank of Bolivia. It did not give any casualty numbers.
An investigation is under way.
The defence ministry warned that the banknotes had no purchasing power and that collecting or using them would constitute a crime.
“The public is asked to stay away and allow the authorities to do their work,” it added in a statement.
According to media reports, people had approached the crash site to try and take the banknotes.
Footage from the scene showed the crashed plane on the ground, as well as badly damaged vehicles.
“My sister told me that she was in the car when the plane crashed. The plane’s tire fell on the car, and my sister was injured because the impact of the tire hit her on the head, so we rushed her to the hospital,” one relative told the Reuters news agency.
SOURCE: BBC NEWS
