Death toll spikes to 20 in Venezuela protests

CARACAS: The death toll in three weeks of violence at anti-government protests in Venezuela jumped to 20 people Friday after a night of clashes and pillaging left 12 people dead in Caracas, reports AFP.
Riot police and pro-government vigilantes fought running battles with protesters demanding the ouster of President Nicolas Maduro on the capital's east, west and south sides, witnesses said.
"It was like a war," said 33-year-old construction worker Carlos Yanez, a resident of the southwestern district of El Valle."The police were firing tear gas, armed civilians were shooting guns at buildings. My family and I threw ourselves to the floor. It was horrible," he told AFP. Eleven people were killed in the neighborhood, according to officials.Eight of them were reportedly electrocuted while trying to loot a bakery amid the chaos. The rest were shot.
At nightfall on Friday, more protests and pockets of unrest were reported in eastern Caracas, and in Macuto in the neighboring state of Vargas.

 

Death toll spikes to 20 in Venezuela protests

CARACAS: The death toll in three weeks of violence at anti-government protests in Venezuela jumped to 20 people Friday after a night of clashes and pillaging left 12 people dead in Caracas, reports AFP. Riot police and pro-government vigilantes fought running battles with protesters demanding the ouster of President Nicolas Maduro on the capitals east, west and south sides, witnesses said. It was like a war, said 33-year-old construction worker Carlos Yanez, a resident of the southwestern district of El Valle.The police were firing tear gas, armed civilians were shooting guns at buildings. My family and I threw ourselves to the floor. It was horrible, he told AFP. Eleven people were killed in the neighborhood, according to officials.Eight of them were reportedly electrocuted while trying to loot a bakery amid the chaos. The rest were shot. At nightfall on Friday, more protests and pockets of unrest were reported in eastern Caracas, and in Macuto in the neighboring state of Vargas.