Arequipa airport suspends operations due to protests
The Alfredo Rodríguez Ballón international airport in Arequipa, Peru’s second largest city, has suspended its operations from 11:00 a.m. (local time) “to safeguard the integrity of the citizenry” and in the presence of anti-government protests, reported the Ministry of Transportation and communications.
The closure of the airport was announced on the ministry’s Twitter account, where it specified that “this action is carried out to safeguard the integrity of citizens and the safety of aeronautical operations.”
The southern region of Arequipa was the scene this Thursday of a confrontation between protesters and the Peruvian National Police (PNP), at the beginning of a national day of protests that aims to march in Lima to demand the resignation of President Dina Boluarte .
Civil construction workers blocked one of the accesses to the city of Arequipa, at the height of the San Isidro bridge, and clashed with the Police when the agents arrived to clear the area with the use of tear gas canisters, according to the RPP radio station.
As a result of the confrontation, three protesters were injured and were referred to the Arequipa regional hospital, the outlet added.
The great national march called “the takeover of Lima” has triggered a series of protest actions in different parts of the country and, so far, the number of deaths has risen to 54, after confirmation of the death of a 51-year-old woman. years and a baby who died in the womb of his teenage mother, according to the Ombudsman’s Office.