Carrier strike in Ica: protesters take two policemen hostage

Demonstrations in Ica are escalating rapidly. It has been reported that the strikers had attacked a police station and took two police officers hostage.

This was reported by the American and Canal N journalist, Salvador Sampén, who through his Twitter account reported that a group of protesters attacked the Villacuri police station and tried to burn it down. Following that, they took two policemen hostage.

Minutes earlier, the journalist had reported that some of these protesters had gone to the hotel where he and his press team were staying. They threatened the hotel owners to “take them out on the street and throw away (their) equipment.”

Likewise, he denounced that there is no police presence in the place, near kilometer 278 of the Panamericana Sur.

11 INJURED IN CLASHES

On April 6, there were reports of strikers who have been blocking several sections of the Pan-American South for two days. They have unleashed the fear of hundreds of passengers who were attacked with sticks and stones by a group of vandals and threatened to burn any vehicle that dares to move forward. A policeman who wanted to bring order to kilometer 278 was beaten and detained by protesters.

Among the demands of these protesters are the reduction of fuel prices, the cost of products from the basic family basket and that President Pedro Castillo dialogue with them, since they do not recognize the agreements reached with the Government and that they considered that they were taken by other unions that do not represent them.

On the other hand, in the area of 'Barrio Chino' businesses were looted, bus and truck moons were broken and a group of criminals, posing as farmers, have taken the roads and charged quotas to drivers if they wish to advance any stretch of the Pan-American South.

In addition, it has been reported that protesters are charging quotas on interprovincial buses with passengers. They have been stranded on the road for two days, and in many cases they do not have the means to feed themselves. In addition, it was recorded that on one of the buses there are 5 children and 2 older adults.

Another group of neighbours in the vicinity have joined the strike of carriers and farmers and forced more than a hundred police officers to retreat and protect themselves from attacks.

In addition, doctors from the Ica Regional Hospital confirm the death of a young man and 11 injured.

A YOUNG MAN WHO DIED IN CLASHES

A blockade of roads was reported at kilometer 290 of the Panamericana Sur, in Ica. A group of policemen went to the area, which triggered a confrontation. Unfortunately, it was later reported that this exchange of stones has left one deceased, whose body has already been removed from the site.

The young man has been identified as 25-year-old Jhoni Quito Contreras. In videos of the confrontation, it was possible to see that the police were also collecting stones to confront the demonstrators and did not carry shields with them.

The police would have been trying to remove the young man's body, but the relatives and strikers in the area did not allow it. After a while, they managed to carry out the removal of the body and he was taken to the back of the patrol car, along with his relatives.

Violence on this stretch of the road has been reported since late in the morning, when passengers on interprovincial buses that have been stranded for two days indicated that they were attacked with stones and charged quotas to make way for them.