Summary Fatality came when squatters threw an officer off a cliff: Juan Carlos Escalante cooperative lawyer
LA PAZ (AFP) - Squatters armed with rocks and sticks fought Bolivian police trying to evict them from a gold mine in a clash that left one officer dead and 10 injured, the government said Tuesday.
The fatality came when the squatters threw an officer off a cliff, said Juan Carlos Escalante, a lawyer for a cooperative that had been working the mine.
The clash happened Monday in Tacacoma, 200 kilometers (125 miles) northwest of La Paz, the Interior Ministry said.
Local people seized control of the gold mine several days ago, apparently because the cooperative had failed to make good on a promise to pay them compensation for use of the pit.
Police showed up Monday to get the locals out of the mine and violence ensued, including when the squatters overpowered a group of police and threw one off the cliff.
Conflicts over mining in Bolivia are common.
