Bolivian military plane crash death toll rises to 20, AFP reports


LA PAZ, Feb 27 (Reuters) - ⁠The death toll has risen to 20 in ⁠the crash on Friday evening of a Bolivian ‌Air Force Hercules aircraft during bad weather in the city of El Alto, near Bolivia's capital La Paz, AFP reported citing police.

The ​plane was carrying new banknotes from ⁠the country's central bank.

The ⁠military aircraft had departed from the city of Santa Cruz ⁠and ‌crashed after landing and skidding off the runway onto a neighboring avenue, according to local authorities.

Social ⁠media footage showed chaotic scenes of people ​flocking to the ‌scene of the crash, appearing to pick up ⁠money that ​lay strewn on the ground following the accident. Local authorities on the scene were warding off people using water hoses ⁠and tear gas. Reuters was unable ​to identify the images.

Bolivia's central bank was set to address reporters later on Friday evening.

The El Alto International Airport was ⁠closed temporarily following the crash, national airline Boliviana de Aviacion said in a statement, adding the aircraft involved in the accident did not belong to its fleet.

Video ​broadcast on local media showed the ⁠aircraft was severely damaged, as were a number of vehicles ​along the avenue where the ‌crash took place.

(Reporting by Daniel Ramos ​and Devika Nair; Writing by Iñigo Alexander; Editing by Brendan O'Boyle, Chris Reese and Kate Mayberry)

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