The aircraft, a Hercules plane belonging to the Bolivian Air Force, had taken off with a special shipment from the Central Bank of Bolivia, carrying new banknotes destined for other cities. However, the flight lasted only a few minutes before turning into a disaster.
According to local authorities, the plane veered off the runway at El Alto airport immediately after takeoff. Images and videos circulated on social media indicated that the aircraft violently collided with at least 12 vehicles traveling on a nearby highway before eventually coming to rest in an adjacent field.
Pavel Tovar, head of the fire department, confirmed that there were numerous injuries in the accident but did not clarify whether the 15 confirmed fatalities were all passengers on the plane or if they included victims from the vehicles struck on the highway. Rescue teams rushed to the scene to attempt to retrieve the victims and provide necessary first aid amidst horrific scenes of destruction.
Money Flies Through the Air... and People Gather It
The human tragedy was not the only scene at the crash site, which turned into an unfamiliar theatre of chaos. The violent impact tore through the plane's cargo, scattering large quantities of new banknotes into the air and across the ground, painting a shocking picture of contrast between human loss and material temptation.
This unprecedented sight prompted many citizens and motorists near the accident site to stop and rush to collect the scattered banknotes from under the plane's wreckage and among the burned vehicles. In a scene reflecting the state of chaos, police forces equipped with riot gear attempted to intervene immediately to disperse the quickly gathering crowds, secure the crash site, and contain the scattered money.
Bolivian authorities have launched an urgent investigation to determine the causes of the plane's deviation and its tragic fall, in an incident that will linger in memory, not only for its magnitude but also for the extraordinary scene that blended money with the fragments of tragedy.
Source: Agencies