Thousands of Bolivians on Tuesday rushed to banks to exchange banknotes at risk of being mistaken for money stolen from a military plane that crashed at the weekend, reporters said.
A Bolivian Air Force plane crashed after landing at El Alto International Airport on Friday last week, killing 24 people and showering the ground with banknotes.
The aircraft was carrying 17.1 million notes of various denominations totaling 423 million bolivianos (US$60.7 million), destined for the Central Bank of Bolivia (BCB).
Photo: AFP
Bystanders grabbed the cash, prompting police to use tear gas to repel them. About 30 percent of the money was looted, according to the government.
The BCB has canceled all the banknotes transported on the flight, which belonged to a series containing the letter B.
However, Bolivians fear that the money would remain in circulation and end up being worthless while it is still in their wallets.
Meanwhile, traders are no longer accepting banknotes from earlier batches that also contain the letter B, even though they have not been canceled.
Thousands of people lined up outside the BCB, and banks in La Paz and the neighboring city of El Alto on Tuesday to exchange their money.
“A person selling bread wouldn’t take” one of my banknotes, said Serapio Mayta, a 77-year-old retiree, after waiting for two hours to exchange his money.
Also waiting was Blanca Molina, a 78-year-old housewife, who said her cash savings were also affected.
BCB President David Espinoza appealed to the public for understanding, urging people to accept legal tender.
MONEY GRAB: People were rushing to collect bills scattered on the ground after the plane transporting money crashed, which an official said hindered rescue efforts A cargo plane carrying money on Friday crashed near Bolivia’s capital, damaging about a dozen vehicles on highway, scattering bills on the ground and leaving at least 15 people dead and others injured, an official said. Bolivian Minister of Defense Marcelo Salinas said the Hercules C-130 plane was transporting newly printed Bolivian currency when it “landed and veered off the runway” at an airport in El Alto, a city adjacent to La Paz, before ending up in a nearby field. Firefighters managed to put out the flames that engulfed the aircraft. Fire chief Pavel Tovar said at least 15 people died, but
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