At least seven people have died in violent demonstrations in Chile.
A State of Emergency in the capital Santiago is expected to be extended to other cities as the country’s president Sebastián Piñera responded to unrest by sending out the military and police.
Authorities have used tear gas and water cannon against protesters and a curfew has now been imposed in urban areas.
Fire fighters have found five bodies in the wreckage of a clothes factory set alight by protesters in a suburb of Santiago.
The country’s interior minister said at least seven people have died since the protests began.
A masked demonstrator throws a plank of wood into a flaming barricade during protests in Santiago, Chile, 19-10-2019. Image: AP Photo/Esteban FelixThe demonstrations originally began when students refused to pay for public transport in response to a bus and metro fare hike that made prices some of the highest in South America.
That quickly spread to a more widespread discontent over rising living costs, inequality and increasing attempts to privative public services.
The protests in Chile aren't just because of the metro fare increase it's so much more than that.
It transcends politics/left and right idiologies, we just want a better and fair quality of life for everyone. Our government fails to see beyond the tip of the iceberg
Pls share. pic.twitter.com/yGiRZFXNVa
— Camilacuevaszuñiga (@Camilacuevaszu) October 21, 2019
President Piñera’s announcement that the fare hike would be suspended has done little to calm the situation.
The State of Emergency is the first to be announced in the country since the military dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet.
Around 10,500 police and soldiers have been sent on to the streets.
Demonstrators run from police firing water canon and tear gas in Santiago, Chile, 20-10-2019. Image: AP Photo/Esteban FelixTwo people have been shot during clashes with police and officials say more than 1,400 have been arrested.
Schools, banks and many shops are expected to remain closed today.
