MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) — Another young man died Wednesday in clashes that have engulfed the Venezuelan capital of Caracas, bringing up the death toll to 39, a district mayor said.
"It is with deep sorrow that I report the murder of another youth today, Miguel Castillo (26), who died of an intercostal wound in Las Mercedes," Baruda mayor Gerardo Blyde tweeted.
The official death toll now stands at almost 40 people, although opposition activists have put it higher.
At least 93 people were injured when security forces moved in to disperse crowds protesting against the government in Caracas, according to Chacao district mayor Ramon Muchacho. Two were hospitalized with gunshot wounds, he said.
The oil-rich South American nation has suffered from an economic meltdown triggered by a slump in oil prices that caused shortages in basic consumer goods. The opposition blames President Nicolas Maduro for the crisis and has been calling for an early election.
