Plane carrying Bolivia’s presidents makes emergency landing; no one injured

Bolivian president in emergency plane landing

LA PAZ, Bolivia — A plane carrying Bolivian President Evo Moarales had to make an emergency landing Wednesday because of a failure in its hydraulic system, but no one was harmed, a spokesman said.

Presidential spokesman Ivan Canelas said Morales was flying from La Paz to the southern city of Sucre, but had to stop in Cochabamba in central Bolivia.

“It was only a small scare. The president was not worried or alarmed because it is not the first time it has happened,” Canelas said.

He said the presidential jet has had to make two other emergency landings because of what he called small faults.

The plane is a little more than 30 years old, and Bolivian officials have negotiated the purchase a new jet from the Russian airplane maker Antonov for $30 million as part of a loan from Russia’s government.