Violent protests in Venezuela: death toll reaches 78

Caracas: The death toll in the violent Venezuelan protests against the government’s call to rewrite the Constitution has increased to 78 after an 18-year-old boy was shot dead following a demonstration, the Public Prosecutor’s Office said.

In a statement, the office said an “irregular situation occurred inside a commercial venue, where the young boy was shot in the arm and in the head” following the demonstration in the state of Anzoategui on Wednesday, reports Efe news.

Two men were arrested following the incident.

Above 1,500 people have been injured in the three months of pro- and anti-government protests since Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro launched an initiative to elect a Constituent Assembly to reform the Constitution.

It has been badly received by the opposition which claimed it was another attempt by the executive to hold onto power.

(IANS)