SANTIAGO, Oct 22 (NNN-PRENSA LATINA) – Protests over the weekend left 11 people dead, in Chile’s capital Santiago and the Metropolitan area, an official said.
“The official death toll we regrettably have, from the past two days is 11: three deaths on Saturday and eight on Sunday,” Santiago Mayor, Karla Rubilar, said.
The protests, sparked by a hike in subway fares snowballed into riots, against the high cost of living and lack of services, with dozens of subway stations vandalised or set on fire.
On Saturday, President Sebastian Pinera declared a state of emergency in the capital and surrounding areas, and imposed a curfew in a bid to quell the protests with military presence. He later announced the suspension of the fare hikes, but also extended the state of emergency as rioting continued.
“We have to move towards rebuilding but also the rebuilding of trust,” said Rubilar, referring to public anger with the political class.
She added, the unrest “has been building for a long time and we didn’t see it coming.”
Only one of Santiago’s six subway lines would be operating partially, due to damage at 41 stations, but 465 additional buses would be circulating to compensate, with free transportation, to the downtown area, she said.
Protests against the fare hikes began on Oct 14, but grew into demonstrations against small pensions, low wages, and costly medical care and other services.– NNN-PRENSA LATINA