Two dead, four injured in Peru protests 

Two people were killed and four others injured in Peru on Sunday during protests over the impeachment of former President Pedro Castillo.

President Dina Boluarte was sworn in last week after Castillo was sacked by Congress and arrested for attempting to dissolve the legislature in an effort to prevent an impeachment vote against him.

Demonstrators, many of them Castillo supporters, have demanded that Peru hold elections rather than allow Boluarte to stay in power until Castillo’s term ends in 2026.

Also Read: Peru’s Ousted President Detained By Police in Lima

The head of Peru’s ombudsman’s office, Eliana Revollar, told local radio station RPP that a 15-year-old and an 18-year-old died during clashes with police in the city of Andahuaylas, in the Andean region of Apurimac, “possibly as a result of gunshot wounds.”

Baltazar Lantaron, governor of the Apurimac region, told local television station Canal N that “four injuries are reported, treated at the health centre, three of them (with wounds) to the scalp, with multiple injuries”.

The Peruvian Corporation of Airports and Commercial Aviation, which manages the country’s airports, reported the closure of the Andahuaylas airport following attacks and acts of vandalism since last Saturday.

Protesters had set fire to the transmitter room, which is crucial for providing navigation services, it added.

The ombudsman’s office on Saturday said two police officers were held for hours by protesters in Andahuaylas but were later released adding that 16 civilians and four policemen were injured in the clashes.

Reuters/Zainab Sa’id