From El Alto: The first thing that strikes witnesses in the chaotic aftermath of this crash is not the wreckage. It is the money. Banknotes, freshly minted and meant for cities across Bolivia, lie scattered across a highway on the high-altitude outskirts of La Paz, fluttering against the crumpled metal of crushed vehicles.
A Bolivian air force Hercules aircraft transporting new banknotes from the Central Bank of Bolivia to regional cities crashed in El Alto on Tuesday, killing at least 15 people, according to 9News, which reported the incident with wire agency AP. El Alto sits immediately adjacent to La Paz and is home to the main international airport serving the Bolivian capital.
Fire Chief Pavel Tovar confirmed the death toll but did not specify whether the fatalities were passengers aboard the aircraft or occupants of the vehicles struck on the highway below. He said a number of people were also injured. Tovar confirmed that at least 15 vehicles were caught up in the incident, with around a dozen sustaining damage.
The aircraft struck vehicles travelling on the road before coming to rest in a field, according to images circulating widely online. Photos from the scene show a severely crumpled cockpit and at least one crushed car nearby. Firefighters worked to extinguish the flames that engulfed sections of the aircraft after impact.
Conflicting accounts emerged in the immediate aftermath as to whether the plane was in the process of taking off or coming in to land when it lost control. That question will be central to any subsequent investigation by Bolivian aviation authorities.
Video and images shared on social media showed civilians rushing onto the road to gather the scattered banknotes. Police in riot gear moved in to disperse the crowd, a scene that added an unsettling dimension to an already devastating incident. The contrast between lives lost and cash being pocketed by onlookers is difficult to sit with.
Following the crash, authorities suspended all flights to and from the terminal, disrupting air traffic in a country where Administración de Aeropuertos y Servicios Auxiliares a la Navegación Aérea manages a network of airports that are critical to transport across Bolivia's varied and often remote geography.
Bolivia sits at elevations that make aviation particularly demanding. El Alto's airport is one of the highest commercial airports in the world, sitting at roughly 4,061 metres above sea level. Thin air affects aircraft performance, and accidents at high-altitude airports, while not common, carry well-documented risk factors that investigators will weigh carefully.
The full circumstances of the crash remain under investigation. What is clear is that the human cost in El Alto on Tuesday extends well beyond the banknotes now lost or collected. Families of those killed on that highway were given no warning of what descended on them. For those communities, the accounting that follows will be measured in something far heavier than currency.
Readers seeking updates on aviation safety incidents can refer to reporting compiled by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, which maintains global accident data and safety standards.