Currency notes litter ground as plane crashes in Bolivia, killing 15

Mohan Sinha
04 Mar 2026, 16:55 GMT+10

Currency notes littered the ground when a cargo plane carrying cash crashed on February 27 near the Bolivian capital, leaving 15 people dead and damaging about a dozen vehicles on a highway
Fire Chief Pavel Tovar did not say whether the people who died were on the plane or in the cars on the highway near the airport in La Paz
According to images shared on social media, the plane hit vehicles in El Alto, a city near La Paz, before coming to a stop in a field

LA PAZ, Bolivia: Currency notes littered the ground when a cargo plane carrying cash crashed on February 27 near the Bolivian capital, leaving 15 people dead and damaging about a dozen vehicles on a highway.

Fire Chief Pavel Tovar did not say whether the people who died were on the plane or in the cars on the highway near the airport in La Paz. He confirmed that several people were injured.

According to images shared on social media, the plane hit vehicles in El Alto, a city near La Paz, before coming to a stop in a field. Reports differed on whether the aircraft was taking off or landing at the time of the crash.

Parts of the plane, wrecked cars, and bodies were scattered across the road. Tovar said at least 15 vehicles were involved. Firefighters were able to put out the fire that had engulfed the plane.

The aircraft was a Hercules plane of the Bolivian Air Force. It was carrying newly printed banknotes from the Central Bank to other cities. Many of the bills were scattered on the ground at the crash site.

Videos on social media showed people rushing to pick up the money while riot police tried to push them back.

Authorities temporarily stopped all flights to and from the airport.

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