By Clara Preve | Associated Press
LA PAZ, Bolivia — The death toll rose to 22 on Saturday from the crash of a military plane carrying 18 tons of new banknotes a day earlier near Bolivia’s capital, damaging about a dozen vehicles and scattering bills on the ground, a police commander said Saturday.
Another 29 people were injured, mostly passengers traveling on public transportation where the plane crashed. Among the dead are 12 men, including one crew member, six women and four children, police commander Mirko Sokol said.
Forensic investigators were still recovering remains from the wreckage Saturday. The injured were taken to clinics in the city of El Alto, near La Paz, where the airport is located.
Defense Minister Marcelo Salinas said Friday that the Hercules C-130 plane was transporting newly printed Bolivian currency from the eastern city of Santa Cruz when it “landed and veered off the runway” at an airport in El Alto, a city adjacent to La Paz, before ending up in a nearby field. Firefighters managed to put out the flames that engulfed the aircraft.
Images on social media showed debris from the aircraft, destroyed cars and bodies scattered on the road. According to fire chief, Pavel Tovar, at least 15 vehicles were damaged.
The plane belonging to the Bolivian air force, was transporting money to La Paz and images on social media showed people rushing to collect the bills scattered at the crash site, while more than 500 soldiers and 100 police officers tried to disperse them, according to official reports.
To avoid more looting, police and military personnel burned the cash boxes in the presence of Central Bank President David Espinoza, who said the bills “have no legal value because they never entered circulation,” without clarifying.
Espinoza did not specify the amount of money being transported, but he said the banknotes had arrived in Santa Cruz from abroad.
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