2 dead in deadly Peru market clashes

Two people were killed and more than 100 people were injured in a clash between police and vendors protesting plans to move a wholesale food market to a new location, authorities said Friday. The fighting erupted when the Lima municipality placed concrete blocks at the entrance to the La Parada market to prevent trucks from entering, prompting traders to hurl stones in protest and police to respond with tear gas. Local television footage showed a mounted policeman being dragged off his horse and pummeled with sticks and rocks before being rescued by other police who fired shots in the air to disperse the crowd. A 32-year-old man died of a bullet wound in the stomach, and a 20-year-old died after a blow to the head, hospital and health ministry officials reported. The health ministry said 46 people were injured in the melee, while the Interior Ministry said 66 policemen were also injured. The city has long wanted to relocate the run-down market to a new area with modern facilities, but merchants oppose the move, fearing they will pay higher rents and lose access to customers.