Botched Robbery at Santiago Airport Kills Two

A botched multimillion-dollar robbery at Chile’s busiest airport has resulted in the deaths of two people, heightening concerns about the rise of crime in the Andean nation.

Social media footage shows a gunfight between criminals and officials from Chile’s DGAC aviation agency beneath a Latam Airlines aircraft at Santiago’s Arturo Merino Benítez international airport.

Officials reported that one thief and a DGAC airport security agent were killed during the attempted heist early Wednesday morning.

After tying up a security guard, approximately ten thieves entered the airport in three vehicles, according to the deputy interior minister, Manuel Monsalve.

“There was an intense exchange of gunfire,” said Monsalve, adding that security personnel “foiled a robbery by a highly organized, highly armed and probably very well-planned robbery”

Recent years have seen an increase in organized crime in Chile, including complex train robberies and a run of raids targeting security vehicles at or near Santiago airport.

The jet, which had arrived from Miami, was carrying $32.5 million for Brinks to distribute locally.