La Paz, Feb 28: At least 15 people were killed while several others sustained injuries after a cargo plane carrying money crashed onto a busy roadway near El Alto International Airport on Friday evening, per local time.

According to reports, the crash occurred around 6 pm in El Alto, a city adjacent to Bolivia’s capital, La Paz.

Fire Chief Pavel Tovar did not clarify if the dead were in the plane or in the cars on the highway near the airport in La Paz. He said there were people injured.

The military Hercules aircraft had departed from Santa Cruz and was transporting newly printed banknotes to other parts of the country.

Local broadcaster Unitel, citing Bolivia’s Ministry of Defence, said the plane crashed after landing and skidding off the runway onto a neighbouring street.

Fire Chief Pavel Tovar told the Associated Press that at least 15 people had died. He did not clarify whether the fatalities were passengers on board the aircraft or people in vehicles on the highway near the airport.

Witnesses described scenes of chaos as the aircraft struck vehicles on the busy roadway before bursting into flames.

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Emergency responders rushed to the site, battling fires and pulling survivors from wreckage scattered across the highway. Officials confirmed that among the dead were both crew members and civilians traveling in cars caught in the crash.

The Bolivian Air Force has launched an investigation into the cause of the accident. Early reports suggest engine failure may have played a role, though authorities have not ruled out other factors.