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2 killed during looting in Argentina

22 December 2012 02:01 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Two people were killed and at least 25 others were injured during looting occurred Friday in Argentina's northern province of Santa Fe, local authorities said, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

Matias Drivet, local Security Secretary, said 20 stores, many of them from the Chinese community, were looted in the cities of Gobernador Galvez and Rosario, the third largest city in the country.

The looting began on Thursday night and continued during Friday early morning. Similar riots also occurred in the southern city of Bariloche and in some cities of Buenos Aries province.

The Mayoress of Rosario city, Monica Fein, has asked the federal government to send national police to help strengthen security in the city, which is 300 km northwest of Buenos Aires, the capital.

Meanwhile, Raul Lamberto, Santa Fe's Security Minister, affirmed the riots were result of "abettors" actions

"The riots first began in Gobernador Galvez and later extended to the western and southwestern zones of Rosario," he said, adding the riots have nothing to do with social problems. They were young people who were moving from one place to another and who mainly stole alcoholic beverages," said Lamberto.

Rosario was the epicenter of the 1989 food riots caused by hyperinflation during the last part of the presidency of Raul Alfonsin, as well as in riots in December 2001, during the large social and economic crisis that ended with the presidency of former president Fernando de la Rua after two years he assumed power.