Bolivia C-130 crash leaves at least 20 dead as banknotes spill across highway
March 2, 2026
What began as an ordinary evening on a busy avenue outside Bolivia’s highest international airport quickly turned into a scene of confusion and tragedy.
A military cargo plane carrying bundles of newly printed banknotes crashed while landing near La Paz on Friday evening, killing at least 20 people and injuring dozens as currency spilt across the debris-strewn road.
Within minutes, the crash site in El Alto presented a grim contrast. Emergency crews searched for victims among twisted metal while crowds surged forward to collect banknotes scattered across the asphalt.
Police eventually fired tear gas to disperse people attempting to grab the money, while authorities later burned piles of the bills at the scene, warning they had no legal value.
The tragedy, first reported by the BBC, has left the community shaken and raised uncomfortable questions about how quickly chaos can overwhelm even the most tragic moments.
What happened in the Bolivia C-130 Hercules crash near La Paz?
The aircraft involved was a Bolivian Air Force Lockheed C-130H Hercules, registration FAB-81, a military transport aircraft built in 1977. It had departed Santa Cruz’s Viru Viru International Airport carrying newly printed banknotes bound for the Central Bank in La Paz.
Shortly after 18:15 local time on February 27, as the aircraft approached El Alto International Airport, something went wrong during the landing.
Officials say the plane overshot runway 28 and skidded beyond the airfield boundary before veering towards Costanera Avenue, a busy road running alongside the airport. The aircraft struck several vehicles before finally coming to rest in a nearby field.
The force of the impact scattered debris along the avenue and damaged at least a dozen vehicles.
Authorities later confirmed that one member of the eight-person crew was among those killed, along with more than 20 people on the ground. At least 30 others were injured.
Emergency workers spent hours combing through the wreckage, searching vehicles and clearing debris as ambulances ferried the injured to nearby hospitals.
Witnesses report adverse weather conditions before C-130 crash
For residents nearby, the crash unfolded in seconds.
Cristina Choque, a 60-year-old street vendor, was travelling with her family when debris from the aircraft struck their car.
“There was lightning and a heavy hailstorm,” she told Agence France-Presse. “The tyre is what fell on top of us… my daughter is injured, she has a head wound.”
A C-130H Hercules with the Bolivian Air Force crashed earlier this evening on a major roadway outside of El Alto International Airport in La Paz, Bolivia, killing 15 and injuring more than 30. The C-130, which had departed from Santa Cruz several hours before carrying new… pic.twitter.com/uP1VTAaFNb
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) February 28, 2026
Choque said the family stayed inside their crushed vehicle for some time, frightened by the rapidly growing crowd gathering around the crash site.
Weather reports from the time show thunderstorms and hail sweeping across El Alto shortly before the aircraft attempted to land. Investigators say the conditions may have played a role, although the cause of the accident remains unknown.
Bolivia’s Ministry of Defence has opened a formal investigation.
Locals scramble to snatch money from crashed C-130
While rescue teams were still arriving, another drama was unfolding.
The aircraft had been carrying large quantities of freshly printed banknotes that had recently arrived in Bolivia from abroad. When the cargo compartment ruptured in the crash, bundles of bills spilt across the road and the nearby ground.
Videos shared by local media show people rushing towards the wreckage, picking up handfuls of notes from the pavement.
In a tragic development, a Bolivian Air Force C-130 Hercules carrying newly printed banknotes from Central Bank crashed while landing at El Alto Airport near La Paz, skidding onto a busy road and struck several vehicles.
— FL360aero (@fl360aero) February 28, 2026
🎥: Vox Liberdade #tragedy #aircraft pic.twitter.com/7BBy0ndPHp
Police in riot gear formed a line to push the crowds back, eventually deploying tear gas and water cannons as the situation grew tense.
Journalists attempting to cover the scene were also caught up in the chaos.
According to the BBC, Bolivia’s National Association of Journalists later condemned attacks on reporters.
“A mobile television unit was directly targeted,” the organisation said in a statement. “Journalists were attacked with stones, suffering serious injuries while carrying out their work.”
Authorities later confirmed that more than a dozen people had been arrested for attempting to take the banknotes.
Money stolen from the Hercules crash site cannot be used
As images of people gathering the bills spread online, government officials moved quickly to clarify that the money could not be used.
Defence Minister Marcelo Salinas said the banknotes had not yet been issued by the Central Bank and therefore carried no official serial numbers.
“I want to make it clear to those who are trying to take money from the plane involved in this tragedy that this money has no legal value since it has not been issued by the Central Bank,” Salinas said. “Attempting to use this money is a crime.”
Officials later gathered large quantities of the scattered notes and burned them at the crash site in an effort to prevent further attempts to recover them.
Rescuers still searching the wreckage of the Bolivian C-130 Hercules
Away from the crowds and burning banknotes, rescue teams faced the sombre task of recovering victims.
Media reports quoting Colonel Rene Tambo, head of the homicide division of El Alto police, said the death toll was still being confirmed.
“There are about 20, maybe a few more,” he told reporters.
Colonel Pavel Tovar of the national fire department earlier said firefighters were recovering victims from vehicles crushed along the avenue.
“We are recovering the bodies of these people who have sadly suffered in the accident,” he said.
Bolivia’s health ministry confirmed that at least 31 people had been injured and issued an urgent appeal for blood donations.
Two members of the aircraft’s crew were initially reported missing, according to Bolivian Air Force commander General Sergio Lora.
Hospitals in both La Paz and El Alto received casualties through the evening as relatives gathered anxiously outside emergency rooms.
The crash forced the temporary closure of El Alto International Airport, one of the world’s highest commercial airports and a key gateway to Bolivia’s administrative capital.
Investigators are now examining flight data, weather conditions and the aircraft’s mechanical systems to determine what went wrong.
Featured image: BAAA
