AT LEAST 15 people have been killed after a Bolivian military plane crashed onto a highway and ploughed into cars.
The cargo jet was reportedly carrying bags of cash with looters scrambling for the scattered banknotes instead of tending to the wounded.
Shocking footage shows the aircraft lying obliterated on the road as emergency workers scurry around in the ruins.
Horrified onlookers scream for help as others approach the wreckage, taking advantage of the confusion to get their hands on some of the cash.
Cops say they have had to use tear gas to disperse crowds of people still trying to loot the crash site several hours later.
More than a dozen vehicles, including small cars, trucks and minibuses, were completely destroyed in the horror crash.
TIGER TRAGEDY
Deadly virus kills 72 tigers at tourist park as probe launched into disease
TWISTED MISS
Teacher charged after ‘molesting student’ had complained about ‘creepy’ men
The Bolivian Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft had landed at El Alto International Airport shortly after 6:20pm, according to a police and fire department report.
But the cargo plane suddenly veered off the runway and crashed onto Costanera Avenue, crushing cars in its path.
The director of the General Directorate of Civil Aeronautics (DGAC), José Antonio Fanola, confirmed that the aircraft “did not crash”.
“During landing, it apparently suffered some mishap and went off the runway. It didn’t crash. It was a runway excursion,” he explained.
Several drivers were left injured as the aircraft performed an emergency braking manoeuvre.
The total number of casualties is still unknown and a probe has been launched into the cause of the crash.
Reports indicate that the stricken plane was transporting valuables from the Central Bank of Bolivia.
Hundreds of banknotes were scattered in the wreckage, prompting firefighters to quickly cordon off the area.
A fire truck also sprayed the aircraft with the airport’s water tanks in case of a fire, although the plane did not explode.
The injured have been rushed to a nearby hospital to receive specialist care.
Meanwhile, nearly 300 officers are still guarding the crash site as an estimated 15,000 hopefuls gather outside.
Some have reportedly tried to knock down a metal fence in a bid to get to the money.
It comes as another 15 people including a congressman were killed in a horror crash in Colombia last month.
Just 12 minutes after take-off, authorities lost all communication with Satena Airlines Flight HK4709, which had two crew and 13 passengers onboard.
Tragically, there were no survivors, Colombia’s civil aviation authority said.
The government-owned airline did not say what caused the crash and said the plane’s emergency beacon had not been activated.
Diógenes Quintero, a member of Colombia’s House of Representatives, and congressional candidate Carlos Salcedo Salaza were both onboard the flight, according to a passenger list released by the airline.
The crash site was found near Colombia’s border with Venezuela in Curasica, Playa de Belén, Norte de Santander.
Political party Union for the People claimed members of its officials’ teams were also onboard the flight.