Violence and looting continued to rock Chile on Sunday, resulting in at least eight deaths as stores and other establishments were set alight despite the imposition of a state of emergency in at least six cities.
The demonstrations started over a subway fare increase two weeks ago, which President Sebastián Piñera canceled on Saturday night. But his move failed to quell the wave of demonstrations that continued to convulse the country into Sunday, and calls were circulating for a national strike on Monday.
Three people were killed in fires at supermarkets that were looted on Sunday, and another five people were found dead in a warehouse that had been burned, officials told The Associated Press. Soldiers in camouflage were seen patrolling the capital, as riot police clashed with protesters, set fire to buses and vandalized subway stops.
The unrest was some of the worst to hit the country in decades, and the sight of military tanks on the streets was jarring for Chileans who are still reeling from a former 17-year military dictatorship, during which the armed forces committed rampant abuses.
