The Peruvian Ministry of Defense (Mindef) elevated to two soldiers dead and four others missing when they attempted to cross a river in the southern Andean region of Puno, the epicenter of anti-government demonstrations taking place in the Andean country.
An official statement regretted this Monday “deeply” the deaths of Peruvian army corporals Franz Canazas Cahuaya and Alex Quispe Serrano, as well as the disappearance of the other four soldiers in the key riverand expressed “his absolute sympathy with his relatives”.
He added that the search work “will be done around the clock and will not end until they are found.” all soldiers missing” and that “an exhaustive investigation has been opened clarify the factsand determine, if any, the responsibilities to which there would be a place”.
The Ministry of Defense has also strongly condemned the hostile attitude towards the Army patrol which the aforementioned soldiers were a part of by violent activists who prevented their passage.
He assured that this forced the military “to take an alternative route crossing the river to avoid a confrontation with said radical elements”.
On Sunday, the Joint Armed Forces Command reported that the soldiers were swept away by the waters of the Ilave River as they were fleeing from a group of anti-government demonstrators.
swept away by the current
The military they were part of a patrol who was moving from the town of Ilave to Juli, where protesters burned down a police station on Saturday, when they were intercepted by a group of people which prevented them from passing, according to Joint Command.
Given this situation, a statement specifies, they decided to cross the Ilave river to avoid confrontation, but “because of the difficulties, the flow of the river and attack with stones and other blunt objects” six members of the patrol they were swept away by the current.
There are among the missing two other corporals and two soldiers, while five other soldiers were hospitalized in Ilave for hypothermia, in stable conditions.
On Saturday, around 300 people attacked the Juli city police station for several hours with stones and blunt objects, eventually setting it on fire, according to a joint statement by the defense and interior ministries.
As a result of the attack, 10 police officers were injured, who were evacuated by helicopter, as well as seven civilians who were treated at the Rafael Ortiz Ravines hospital.
At the same time, the statement adds, another group attacked the military base of Juli, temporarily set up in a hotel, causing bruises and wounds to ten army members.
In the Puno region Roadblocks and business disruptions have been maintained since January past when its inhabitants took to the streets to demand, among other things, the resignation of President Dina Boluarte and 18 civilians died in clashes with security forces in the city of Juliaca.
Last Thursday a delegation of inhabitants of Puno arrived in Lima to join the anti-government protests that also call for early general elections, the closure of Congress and the convening of a constituent assembly.
This was stated by the Boluarte government the state of emergency in Punowhere the control of internal order is entrusted to the Armed Forces, with the support of the National Police of Peru.
EFE extension
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Source: Clarin
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