Venezuelan Opposition Leader Says Nearly 250 People Injured in Caracas Protests

An opposition leader and the Miranda state governor said that a total of 247 people received different injuries during anti-government protests in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas on Monday.

MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) — A total of 247 people received different injuries during anti-government protests in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas on Monday, local media reported citing Henrique Capriles, an opposition leader and the Miranda state governor.

According to El Nacional newspaper, 65 people were injured by steel billets, 66 were hit by shotgun pellets, 90 were asphyxiated, four received fractures and 22 others were beaten.

Earlier in the day, Capriles said that the security forces had attacked him and his supporters with gas during a march in memory of the Venezuelans killed in protests. Relevant videos were published on the politician's Twitter account.

Venezuelan opposition accuses the government of mismanaging the oil-rich country, causing severe shortages of basic consumer goods, and attempts to sidestep the parliament. President Nicolas Maduro plans to set up a constituent assembly to rewrite the constitution as a way out of the political crisis that broke out in early April when the Supreme Court briefly took over powers from the National Assembly controlled by the opposition, causing an uproar.

According to local media, the death toll from nearly two months of violent protests in the crisis-hit country has amounted to 60, with most of the victims being civilians.