A Lockheed C-130H Hercules military transport aircraft of the Bolivian Air Force crashed after landing at El Alto International Airport in La Paz on Friday evening (27).
According to preliminary information from local authorities, at least 20 people were killed and around 30 others were injured.
The machine, identified as FAB-81, had taken off hours earlier from Santa Cruz carrying freshly printed banknotes from the Central Bank of Bolivia. Initial reports said the landing was successful, but while taxiing, the plane lost control, veered off the runway and onto a nearby road, hitting several vehicles.
Scattered money and chaos at the scene of the accident
The impact caused bundles of money to be thrown out of the aircraft and scattered across the accident site. Eyewitnesses reported that people nearby tried to take the banknotes, causing tumultuous scenes.
Bolivian police used tear gas to disperse the crowd and increased security around the scene of the accident. The central bank said that the banknotes transported had not yet been in circulation and therefore had no legal value.
Weather conditions and investigation
The accident occurred in adverse weather conditions in the El Alto region, located at over 4,000 meters altitude — one of the highest international airports in the world, posing additional operational challenges for aircraft.
According to military sources, the affected aircraft is a C-130H Hercules, which was modernized in 2024. The Bolivian Air Force launched an investigation to determine the causes of the accident, including the possible influence of bad weather and technical defects.
Rescue workers worked through the night to rescue victims and treat the injured, who were taken to hospitals in the La Paz area.
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An official list of victims has not yet been published. The number of dead and injured could be updated in the coming hours as search and identification efforts progress.
Source and images: OSINTdefender, X @sentdefender. This content was created using AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
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
