British News Agency

Prime Minister Ernesto Alvarez said late Thursday that the government would declare a state of emergency in Lima within hours and was preparing a series of measures to combat rising insecurity.

The protest on Wednesday night, organized by Gen Z demonstrators, transport workers, and civil society groups, was the latest in a series of demonstrations against corruption and rising crime that led to the dramatic midnight ouster of former President Dina Boluarte last Thursday.

Thousands of protesters gathered across the country, and hundreds clashed with police outside the Congress building in Lima. Police used tear gas while some protesters threw fireworks, stones, and burning objects.

Protesters who reached the Congress building and tried to tear down the metal barriers protecting it chanted “Everyone must go!” as clashes broke out.

Fernando Losada, a representative of the ombudsman’s office, said that 32-year-old Eduardo Mauricio Ruiz was killed during the protest and that his death would be investigated. Peru’s prosecutor’s office said Ruiz was shot dead.