MOSCOW (Sputnik) – An explosion occurred in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas on Sunday, during an anti-government protest amid an election to the Constituent Assembly, local media reported.
A video posted by a journalist of Te Lo Cuento News media outlet on Twitter showed that the explosion occurred on a wide street in the Altamira neighborhood of Caracas, with three motorbikes burnt down.
According to the Public Ministry of Venezuela, at least seven policemen were injured in the explosion.
Protests escalated in Venezuela on the election day, with local media reporting that a total of 13 people were killed across the country over the past 24 hours.
Venezuela has been experiencing a period of political instability for a long time because of the drastic economic situation in the country. The most recent protests erupted in April after the country's Supreme Court tried to take over legislative powers from the opposition-controlled National Assembly. The top court reversed the ruling but the step did not stop the mass demonstrations.
In May, country’s President Nicolas Maduro announced his decision to call the constituent assembly, which was regarded by the opposition as an attempted coup and resulted in further escalation of tensions that resulted in the deaths of over 90 people.
