MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Cusco's airport once again closed as a precaution in Peru

Cusco's airport had been unoperational for 5 days the first time it was closed amid rising domestic turmoil

Cusco's Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport has been closed for the second time since the beginning of nationwide protests following the Dec. 7 impeachment of President Pedro Castillo Terrones, in a move to prevent new attacks by demonstrators requesting the resignation of President Dina Boluarte

“The Ministry of Transport and Communications informs that, as a preventive measure, Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport will temporarily suspend its operations,” the government said in a statement on Twitter.

The decision was taken in view of the high risk of the air terminal being stormed by thousands of protesters marching through this Andean city Thursday. The air terminal is guarded by police and military and is Peru's second most important air terminal nationwide with over 100 weekly flights to and from Lima.

During Wednesday's protests, hundreds of villagers, many of them farmers, tried to reach the airport as part of a mobilization to demand Boluarte's dismissal. The police used tear gas to disperse the crowd, armed with slingshots, leaving one peasant leader dead and over 50 injured, including 19 law enforcement officers, according to the Ombudsman's Office.

Cusco's airport had been unoperational for 5 days the first time it was closed amid rising domestic turmoil.

The Ombudsman's Office also confirmed Thursday the death in Juliaca (in the Puno region) of a 16-year-old civilian who had taken a gunshot to his head on Monday during clashes between demonstrators and security forces, for a total of 49 fatalities since the beginning of the crisis. The new casualty was added to the 17 demonstrators killed Monday.

So far, 41 demonstrators have died in direct confrontations with security forces, in addition to one policeman, and seven other people who lost their lives in traffic accidents stemming from blockades staged by protesters.

The Ombudsman's Office also reported that 17 officers were hospitalized in Puno agents of the National Police remain hospitalized in Puno.

The Peruvian Ombudsman's Office also recommended Thursday to the Public Prosecutor's Office that the investigations “on the tragic events that occurred in Juliaca, Puno, be investigated by specialized prosecutors in human rights and interculturalism.”

Local media reported that in Juliaca there was a “tense calm” ahead of the funerals of many of the victims.

In addition to Boluarte's resignation, the demonstrators want the closing of Congress, the bringing forward of general elections, and the calling for a constituent assembly.