Violence continues despite the government's retreat to rate hikes. A Santiago official said three people died in a fire at two supermarkets looted Sunday morning. Authorities say five more people died in the basement of the burnhouse.
Others responded that riot police seized protesters while protesting Chile's national economic model. 20 October 2019.
(Reuters)
At least five people were killed when predators near the Chilean capital, Santiago, moved their clothing factories to torches.
Police and the military fired tear gas and used water cannons against city protesters for three days to clash with clashes over price hikes and social inequalities.
Santiago Fire Corps commander Diego Velasquez told local media that "Unfortunately five bodies were found inside the plant," at Renca.
Two people died when a predator called a supermarket in Santiago early on Saturday.
The Chilean military declared another ban on night traffic in the capital, even after the president canceled the subway fare increase, struggling to commit violent protest, looting and arson on the streets.
President Sebastian Pinera defended his decision to call an emergency and deploy troops on the streets for the first time since the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet between 1974 and 1990 after an emergency meeting late Sunday.
"Democracy not only has rights, but it is also obliged to defend itself by using all the tools that democracy itself provides and the rule of law to fight those who want to destroy it," Pinera said.
Faced with the worst crisis of his second term as head of South America, Pinera announced that he would cancel the subway fare increase imposed two weeks ago on Saturday night.
This resulted in major protests, including riots that caused millions of dollars in damage to bus rides and damaged subway stops, office buildings and shops.
Santiago local officials said three people were killed in a fire at a looted supermarket, one of 60 Wal-Mart-owned stores looted early Sunday.
Two or more airlines canceled or rescheduled flights to the capital on Sundays and Mondays, affecting more than 1,400 passengers.
Troops patrolled the streets, and emergency and curfew conditions were still in force in the 6 Chilean city, but new protests continued after dawn. Security forces use tear gas and water spray to disperse the crowd.
Interior Minister Andres Chadwick said the recent turmoil injured 62 police and 11 civilians and prosecutors arrested about 1,500.
Cynthia Cordero said he walked 20 blocks to get to the pharmacy to buy a diaper with the transport frozen.
"They don't have the right to do this," she said. "We oppose abuse, increase freight, bad education and unfair pensions but cannot destroy them."
Long lines formed at gas stations as people tried to fill the next week with a mass transit system depleted by destructive protests.
Louis De Grange, Metro System Governor, said that workers tried to run at least one line on Monday, but it could take weeks or months to hire the other four again.
Source: TRTWorld and Agencies
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