At least 17 people have been killed in clashes with police in southern Peru, according to country's human rights office.
The death toll marks the deadliest day so far of protests demanding early elections and the release of jailed former president Pedro Castillo.
The clashes occurred in Juliaca, a city near the banks of Lake Titicaca in southern Peru's Puno region, and left 68 people injured, Henry Rebaza, a Puno health ministry official, told the state-run television channel TV Peru on Monday.
The dead included at least two teenagers, according to the ministry.
Some of the bodies had bullet wounds, Puno's regional health director, Ismael Cornejo, told local radio station RPP.
Key points:
- Clashes between protesters and police in the Peruvian city of Juliaca leave 17 dead
- The latest casualties raise the death toll from anti-government demonstrations to 39 since early December
- The protesters are demanding early elections and the release of jailed former president Pedro Castillo
Gunshots, smoke
During the day in Juliaca, a Reuters witness recorded footage of gunshots and smoke on the streets as protesters took cover behind large metal plates and road signs and threw rocks at police using improvised sling-shots.