A soldier trying to avoid a group of anti-government protesters in the southern Andean region of Puno, in Peru, fell into a river and drowned this Sunday, after being swept away by the current. As reported by the armed forces, another five soldiers are missing.

“Due to the difficulties, the flow of the river and the attack with stones and other blunt objects by a group of protesters, six members of a patrol were swept away by the currentresulting in the death by drowning of Corporal Franz Canazas,” said the Joint Command of the Armed Forces in a statement.

The statement confirmed that the army patrol was moving from the city of Ilave to Juli, with the purpose of reinforce military actions in favor of restoring order, after the protests against President Dina Boluarte that took place on Saturday and left at least 16 civilians and soldiers injured and a police station set on fire.

“The patrol was intercepted by radical protesters blocking their way abruptly and violently, threatening military personnel with stones, huaracas (slingshots) and other blunt objects,” the document indicated.

The Command explained, in parallel, that “in view of this situation and in order to avoid confrontations with protesters who acted violently, threatening personnel and without providing any possibility of dialogue; the patrol decided to take an alternate route,which contemplated crossing the Ilave River to avoid confrontation, taking into consideration that the bridges were also blocked”.

In addition to the five troops who remain missing, five other soldiers are interned in the Ilave hospital due to hypothermia, in stable conditions, the statement said.

“The Inspectorate System, in turn, is carrying out the corresponding investigations in order to determine the exact causes of the events,” he added.

The city of Juli, epicenter of violence in Peru

The city of Juli was the epicenter of violent events this Saturday, when a group of protesters attacked and set fire to the local police station with Molotov cocktails, demanding the withdrawal of police officers and Army personnel who support public security in the location.

According to a joint statement from the Defense and Interior ministries, that day “approximately 300 violent activists” began the attack with stones and other blunt objects, and ten policemen were injured in the midst of the situation.

Additionally, it is known seven civilians injured and treated at the Rafael Ortiz Ravines Hospital.

Simultaneously, another group of protesters attacked the Juli Military Base, injuring another ten Army personnel with cuts to the head, arms and hands, as well as polycontusions in most of them.

There was also another attack on the headquarters of the Judiciary and vehicles belonging to the police station, police personnel and the military patrol were set on fire.

All these violent actions occurred within the framework of the demonstrations against the government of Dina Boluarte, which have left a total of 70 people dead since last December.

The protesters demand the resignation of the president who will be in power for three months on March 7 after replacing President Pedro Castillo in his capacity as vice president, who was arrested after being dismissed by Congress on December 7 after a failed coup. State, at a time when he was being investigated for alleged corruption.

In addition, the protesters promote the closure of Congress and demand the advancement of the elections to 2023.

With information from agencies.