It is estimated that more than 20 people have died in the four days of protests over the reforms to the Instituto Nicaragüense de Seguridad Social (INSS) – Nicaraguan Institute of Social Security.
The Cruz Roja (Red Cross) confirmed six deaths of its volunteers.
Another of the deaths was of journalist Angel Gathona, killed Saturday night in the city of Bluefields, while reporting on Facebook Live for the El Meridiano news program, covering the protests.
According to the Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights (Cenidh), 26 deaths have occurred until this Saturday in the protests, though the numbers cannot be confirmed by official sources or local media.
In a protest held Saturday afternoon in Managua, young ‘autoconvocados’ wrote on the pavement the name of 17 young people who would have died in clashes.
The deceased registered by the Red Cross, attended to in Managua and Tipitapa, were between the ages of 15 and 33 years and the cause of death in all cases has been impacts by firearms, said Lisset Guido, responsible for communication at the Red Cross.
Since the beginning of the demonstrations and ensuing clashes in favor and against the INSS reforms, the Red Cross says it has treated some 320 people and transferred more than 100 to medical centers across the nation.
The Red Cross says it has about 600 volunteers and 61 ambulances active.
In Diriamba, during the protests, Saturday, the mayor’s office, and community center were burned down.
Another city affected by the violence is Masaya, where merchants were forced to close for fear of looting. The mayor of Masaya reported, by way of social networks, the closure of the municipal market. The bus terminal located in the market was empty, people fearing travel.
In Chinandega, the Red Cross reports transferring 13 people to hospital, including two children and local politician.
In Esteli, 10 people were treated for injuries during the protests.
In Matagalpa, protests in favor and against were without violence.
In Leon, at least 10 buildings were burned between Friday and Saturday, including the CUUN and Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Nicaragua (UNAN-León), a pharmacy, a restaurant, a lottery office and a billiard hall.
Bus operators such as Transnica and Ticabus, with multiple daily services between Nicaragua and San Jose, Costa Rica, canceled operations, the companies saying they could guarantee passenger safety on Nicaraguan roads.
Source (in Spanish): El Nuevo Diario
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