1 Dead, 21 Hurt as Peru Mine Protest Turns Violent

One person was killed and 21 others wounded Wednesday when protesters opposed to a mine project in southern Peru tried to seize a bridge and police fought them back.

Police fired teargas when protesters tried to cut off the Pan-American Highway in the region of Arequipa, where Mexican-owned copper firm Southern Peru is working on the $1.4 billion Tia Maria mine.

The mayor of the nearby town of Cocachacra, Elard Valencia, said police also fired live ammunition, killing a 61-year-old farmer who was hit in the leg.

Police "opened fire to disperse residents," he told a local TV station.

The interior ministry said the man died after being admitted to hospital "with a traumatic injury to his right leg, the causes of which are under investigation."

Peruvian police are forbidden to use lethal weapons on protesters, it emphasized.

Former interior minister Daniel Urresti was sacked in February after police opened fire on a protest against Argentine oil company Pluspetrol in central Peru, killing one person and wounding dozens.

Wednesday's clash left nine farmers and 12 police wounded, officials said.

Protests against mining and oil projects have been mounting in resource-rich Peru in recent months, complicating President Ollanta Humala's efforts to reboot economic growth.

Local residents oppose Southern Peru, a subsidiary of Mexico's Southern Copper, because they say the Tia Maria mine will pollute their water and damage agriculture.

They have been on strike in protest since March 23.