Chile’s protest violence escalates as 3 die in fire at ransacked supermarket
- What started as a mass student protest over an increase in public transport fares morphed into a broader movement for changes to Chile’s economic model
- The first deaths occurred when a supermarket controlled by Walmart was looted, as protests continued despite a curfew
Three people died in a fire in a supermarket being ransacked in the Chilean capital early on Sunday, as protests sparked by anger over social and economic conditions rocked one of Latin America’s most stable countries.
Santiago’s Mayor Karla Rubilar told reporters two people burned to death in the blaze and another later died in hospital, after the huge store controlled by US retail chain Walmart was looted.
They were the first deaths in two days of violent unrest in which protesters have set buses on fire, burned metro stations and clashed with riot police in the city of seven million – despite a curfew imposed overnight until 7am on Sunday.
On Saturday, Chile’s President Sebastian Pinera announced the repeal of a subway fare hike that had prompted violent student protests, less than a day after he declared a state of emergency amid rioting and commuter chaos in the capital.
Soldiers patrolled the streets in Santiago for the first time since the military dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet ended in 1990, summoned to keep order following protests over a rise in subway fares from the equivalent US$1.12 to US$1.16. Subway service had been suspended in the capital since late Friday.