Five Peruvian soldiers are missing after being swept away by a river, when they fled this Sunday from a group of protesters anti-government groups in the southern region of Puno (on the border with Bolivia). So far, only one soldier has been confirmed dead, according to information from military sources.
The soldiers were part of a patrol that was moving from the town of Ilave to Juli, where theyProtesters burned down a police station on Saturdaywhen they were intercepted by a violent group that prevented their passage, has detailed the Joint Command of the Armed Forces.
In this situation, according to the statement, the patrol decided to take an alternative route and cross the river Ilave to avoid confrontation, but they were swept away by the current, “due to the difficulties, the flow of the river and the attack with stones and other blunt objects.”
The deceased soldier was identified as Corporal Franz Canazas Cahuayawhile the disappeared are Corporal Elvis Pari Quizo, Corporal Carlos Quispe Montalico, Corporal Alez Quispe Serrano and soldiers Percy Castillo Pongo and Elías Lupaca Inquilla.
Likewise, five soldiers are hospitalized in the Ilave hospital due to hypothermia, in stable conditions.
After his disappearance, the military authorities have begun the search work of military personnel who are missing.
Also, the Inspection System of the Armed Forces is carrying out the corresponding investigations in order to determine the exact causes of the events.
On Saturday, some 300 people attacked the police station in the neighboring city of Juli with stones and blunt objects for several hours, and finally the police station was set on fire with Molotov-type cocktails, according to a joint statement from the Defense and Interior ministries.
in the aftermath of the attack 10 police officers were injuredwho were evacuated by helicopter, and also seven civilians who were treated at the Rafael Ortiz Ravines hospital.
In parallel, it has added the statement, another group attacked the Juli military basetemporarily established in a hotel, which caused injuries to ten Army personnel, who present bruises and cuts to the head and arms.
The Puno regionin which Juli and Ilave are, maintains roadblocks and strikes of activities since last January, when its residents took to the streets to demand the resignation of President Dina Boluarte and a harsh repression caused the death of 18 people in the neighboring city of Juliaca.
This week a delegation of its inhabitants arrived in Lima to insist on the demand for early general electionsbut a group of women with their small children loaded were repressed by the police with tear gas, which unnerved their countrymen.
The government of Dina Boluarte has declared the state of emergency in Punowhere “the control of internal order is in charge of the Armed Forces, incorporating the National Police of Peru to achieve said objective”.