Death toll hits 5 in clashes over blockades in Bolivia

LA PAZ, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Four police officers and a civilian died due to road blockades promoted by supporters of former President Evo Morales (2006-2019), which have blocked passage in key regions of the country for 11 days, local authorities said Thursday.

The Bolivian public prosecutor's office has so far identified five deaths in the clashes over roadblocks.

The national director of the Institute of Forensic Research, Ana Katherine Ramirez, confirmed the registration of five deaths, including three police officers and a firefighter also from the police, all in the municipality of Llallagua, in addition to a civilian from a rural community in the central department of Cochabamba.

The deaths are reported in the context of clashes between the police and protesters blocking important roads in Bolivia.

The conflict has escalated, particularly in the mining municipality of Llallagua, and along the Cochabamba road axis, the main route connecting the east and west of Bolivia. ■