Troops and police had moved to lift the siege on a fuel plant in El Alto by supporters of former Bolivian president Evo Morales that has caused acute shortages in nearby La Paz. Two of the dead had been hit by gunfire, including a 31-year old man, a spokesman for the ombudsman’s office said. “Agitators and vandals” had attacked and partially destroyed the Senkata fuel plant in El Alto, “using high-powered explosives,” the army said in a statement. Morales supporters last week erected barricades around the El Alto plant to protest what they said was a coup by interim Bolivian President Jeanine Anez. The blockade caused major fuel shortages in La Paz, the scene of daily protests against the new government.

Source: Taipei Times November 20, 2019 16:04 UTC