A devastating military aircraft accident in Bolivia has sparked community outrage after officials destroyed millions in banknotes that were scattered across the crash site.
The Bolivian Air Force cargo plane went down Friday night in El Alto, a densely populated city, claiming 22 lives and leaving 30 people wounded. Among the fatalities were four children, while the aircraft’s lead pilot remains hospitalized in critical condition, officials reported Saturday.
The military Hercules transport was carrying 18 tons of currency designated for replacing worn bills when it crashed. Thousands of residents quickly descended on the scene to gather the money littering the ground.
Vice Interior Minister Hernan Paredes described how approximately 3,000 people converged on the crash site “with a tremendously aggressive attitude wielding sticks and stones” to collect the scattered notes. Police deployed tear gas to control the crowds and took 49 individuals into custody on vandalism charges.
Officials subsequently incinerated all the recovered banknotes, stating the currency held no legal tender status and that possessing it violated the law.
The decision to destroy the money has fueled anger among local residents already struggling with poverty. “Look at all the money they burned, there are poor families that need that money,” local resident Marcelino Poma expressed his frustration. “We need to rise up in El Alto. They took our gasoline subsidy, they hurt our household budgets, now they’re taking all the money out of the country.”
Demonstrations continued into Saturday as small groups maintained their protests against the government’s actions.
The identification process for victims remains challenging, with police chief Mirko Sokol confirming that only nine bodies have been positively identified due to severe injuries sustained in the crash.
The tragedy could have been far worse, according to Paredes, who explained that the pilots managed a last-second maneuver to avoid striking 40 residential buildings just meters away from the crash site.
Family members of the deceased are demanding accountability. “We are in shock,” said Cesar Mamani, whose relative perished in the accident. “We truly detest the government’s and the armed forces’ lack of safety measures.”
President Rodrigo Paz characterized the incident as a “day of great sorrow for El Alto and the nation,” announcing that a full investigation is underway. Search teams continue looking for the aircraft’s flight data recorder.
El Alto ranks among Bolivia’s most impoverished yet rapidly expanding urban centers. The city emerged as workers migrated toward the capital of La Paz during the late 1900s, establishing communities above what is recognized as the world’s highest capital city, where residents now rely on cable cars for daily transportation.
