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WORLD NEWS Thursday 20 april 2017

2 killed amid massive anti-government marches in Venezuela

JOSHUA GOODMAN opposition-controlled con-
FABIOLA SANCHEZ gress of its last remaining
Associated Press powers, a move that was
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) later reversed but not be-
— Two people were shot fore enraging the opposi-
dead as opponents of tion and causing a storm of
President Nicolas Maduro international criticism. The
flooded the streets of Cara- charges of increasing gov-
cas and other Venezuelan ernment authoritarianism
cities Wednesday, battling come against the back-
security forces in what’s drop of an ever-deepen-
been dubbed the “mother ing economic crisis.
of all marches” against the In Caracas, tens of thou-
embattled socialist leader. sands of angry protesters
Carlos Romero, just three converged from 26 differ-
days away from his 18th ent points round the capi-
birthday, was walking to tal to attempt to march
play soccer with friends downtown to the Ombuds-
when he bumped into pro- man’s office. Like a half-
government militias stalk- dozen times previously,
ing a pocket of protesters, their progress was blocked
family spokesman Melvin by a curtain of tear gas
Sojo told The Associated and rubber bullets fired by
Press, based on the ac- riot police officers. Opposition leader Henrique Capriles, center, takes cover under an overpass from tear gas
launched by security forces during anti-government protests in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday,
counts of two people who As night fell, a few thou- April 19, 2017. Tens of thousands of opponents of President Nicolas Maduro flooded the streets of
rushed Romero to the hos- sand people were still Caracas in what’s been dubbed the “mother of all marches” against the embattled president.
pital after he was hit by gathered in a plaza in (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
gunfire. wealthy eastern Cara-
“This was supposed to be cas as residents in nearby and Molotov cocktails protesters amassed on a cision energized Venezu-
a happy moment but in- buildings banged pots and against lines of police and highway fled a cloud of ela’s fractious opposition,
stead I came home to see pans in a show of support. national guardsmen who eye-searing tear gas by which had been struggling
my brother die,” said Sojo, A group of youths with their responded with tear gas in sliding down a long con- to channel growing disgust
who grew up in the Romero faces covered tore down cat-and-mouse skirmishes crete causeway and into with Maduro over wide-
home and returned Tues- street signs and billboards likely to last deep into the the Guaire River that tra- spread food shortages, tri-
day from Ecuador, where for makeshift barricades. night. verses Caracas. ple-digit inflation and ram-
he had been living the past They then launched rocks At one point, dozens of The Supreme Court’s de- pant crime.q
year.
There was no immediate
confirmation that the mili- More mudslides in Colombia kill at least 14 people
tias shot the boy, and some
government officials cast CHRISTINE ARMARIO Dozens of hillsides gave side, though all of his fam- risk were being evacuated
doubt on the account, Associated Press way in Manizales after the ily members managed to and national agencies mo-
saying Romero was killed BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) city of nearly 400,000 peo- escape. bilized to assist in the recov-
during an attempted as- — A deluge of rain set off ple received the equiva- “Unfortunately, everything ery.
sault. landslides that smashed lent of a full month’s rain indicates he is buried in “It rained in Manizales like
In the western city of San homes and filled streets in the span of five hours. there,” said Juan Carlos it has never rained before,”
Cristobal, a 23-year-old with mud Wednesday in a The inundation caused at Rendon, a transit coordi- Santos said.
woman identified as Paola mountain city in a coffee- least 40 to 50 avalanches nator aiding operations in The landslides occurred as
Ramirez was shot dead by growing part of Colombia, of mud and rock that de- Manizales. Colombia is still recover-
similar groups, according and authorities said at least stroyed homes and left sev- The dead included a po- ing from the March 31 di-
to Mayor Patricia Gutier- 14 people were killed and eral roadways impassable. lice officer and at least saster in Mocoa, and the
rez, who said the groups two dozen injured. Rescuers dug in thick layers three children. two incidents drew several
circled demonstrators on The disaster struck in the of mud searching for nine President Juan Manuel immediate parallels. Both
motorcycles as they were early morning when many people listed as missing. Santos attempted to reach caught unsuspecting resi-
heading home from the people in Manizales were Among those believed the region but was forced dents off guard in the early
demonstration. still asleep, just as a flood- buried in the debris was a to land 200 kilometers (124 morning hours after the cit-
The two killings bring to sev- ing disaster two weeks ago man trying to help several miles) away in Medellin ies received unprecedent-
en the death toll since pro- that caused more than 300 relatives after water be- after encountering bad ed amounts of rain. Both
tests began three weeks deaths in this Andean na- gan entering their home. weather. In remarks in a also struck hardest at poor
ago over the Supreme tion’s southern city of Mo- A mudslide wrecked the live broadcast, he said resi- people living in precarious
Court’s decision to strip the
coa. house while he was still in- dents in areas still at high housing developments.q