A Bolivian Air Force Hercules transport plane, carrying a cargo of newly printed banknotes, crashed onto a busy highway while attempting to land in bad weather near the capital, La Paz. At least 20 people were killed and more than 30 injured in the incident.

Local authorities said the military plane was attempting to land on Friday evening at El Alto International Airport when it skidded off the runway and ploughed into a nearby road.

"There are about 20, maybe a few more," Police Colonel Rene Tambo, head of the police homicide division in El Alto, said of the death toll.

Defence Minister Marcelo Salinas stated the Hercules C-130 "landed and veered off the runway" and came to a stop in a field. Firefighters responding to the crash successfully extinguished a fire that broke out, the minister noted, adding that the cause remains under investigation.

"A heavy hailstorm" was falling and "there was lightning" when the plane went down, 60-year-old vendor Cristina Choque, whose car was struck by wreckage, told AFP.

Footage shared on social media showed chaotic scenes as crowds gathered at the crash site. Some people appeared to collect banknotes scattered among debris from the aircraft, wrecked vehicles, and victims' bodies.

Authorities used water hoses and tear gas to push back onlookers and looters.

The Ministry of Defence later said in a statement that "the money transported in the crashed aircraft has no official serial number… therefore it has no legal or purchasing power." The ministry also warned that the "collection, possession, or use" of the money "constitutes a crime."

Bolivian Air Force General Sergio Lora said two of the six crew members remained unaccounted for. The central bank was expected to brief reporters later on Friday regarding the stricken plane's cargo.

La Paz, situated at an altitude of 3,650 metres and surrounded by Andean mountain peaks, is the world's highest administrative capital.

Source: www.aljazeera.com