Troops deploy on streets of Santiago as Chile president declares state of emergency

Capital descended into chaos amid riots that left a downtown building engulfed in flames and metro system shuttered

Troops have been patrolling the streets of the Chilean capital Santiago after President Sebastian Pinera evoked a state of emergency amid a surge in violent protests over a hike in public transport fares, the military has confirmed.

Hundreds of thousands of commuters were trapped on their way home from work in Santiago on Friday after high school students flooded subway stations as part of protests against a fare hike.

The capital city descended into chaos amid riots that left a downtown building engulfed in flames and its metro system shuttered.

Subway services in Santiago were suspended after activists jumped turnstiles, dodged fares and vandalised stations as part of demonstrations which quickly spread throughout the city of six million.

By nightfall on Friday, students had set up barricades and started fires at the entrances to subway stations.

Police told Reuters that on Friday alone, 156 police officers had been injured, including five seriously. Forty-nine police cars were damaged, 41 metro stations vandalised and 308 people were detained.

Javier Iturriaga del Campo, the general designated in charge by Mr Pinera, told a news conference at Santiago‘s Moneda presidential palace in the early hours of Saturday that his troops would focus their patrols on “the most conflict-hit areas” but would impose no curfew “for now.”

“The recommendation for people is that they can go home to be with their families and be calm,” he said.

“We are assuming control, deploying our forces in a way that we can prevent continuing acts of vandalism and having a better sense in the morning of what is happening.”

Mr Pinera said he would invoke a special state security law to prosecute the “criminals” responsible for the city-wide damage, while at the same time saying he sympathised with those impacted by the rate hikes.

“In the coming days, our government will call for a dialogue ... to alleviate the suffering of those affected by the increase in fares,” the centre-right leader said in the broadcast address.

Television images showed students and others attacking police vehicles, throwing stones and burning at least one bus, along with scenes of destruction and shattered glass inside various metro stations.

Police who had been trying to break up the protests with tear gas withdrew from some subway stations.

The president allowed authorities to restrict people’s rights to assembly and movement. The move was aimed at guaranteeing “the security of residents, protecting goods and the rights of each one of our compatriots who have seen complications from the actions of true criminals”, Mr Pinera said in a speech from the government palace.

Transportation minister Gloria Hutt, who earlier rejected lowering fares, said: “It’s possible that during the next week the functioning (of the subway system) returns in a gradual fashion.”

The government filed a complaint under the state security law against people who damage the subway system or prevent its normal operation, according to interior minister Andres Chadwick. The law carries prison sentences of three to five years for offenders.

The protest by students began on Monday when hundreds of young people mobbed several stations in Santiago, jumping over or dipping under turnstiles to protest a 16 per cent increase in subway fares from about one dollar to one dollar and 16 cents.

Chile does not produce its own oil and must import its fuel, leading to high prices for petrol, electricity and elevated public transportation costs.

By the end of the week, the protests had turned violent with students breaking gates, shattering glass and throwing debris onto the electrified rails. A train driver was injured by broken glass.

The protests have divided Santiago residents between those who feel the protests are justified and those furious at the long commuting delays.

“It’s unacceptable that because of schoolchildren we can’t return to our homes,” said bank worker Daniel Fuentealba.

Eric Campos, leader of the subway workers’ union, reported that at least 16 employees had been injured and called for the closure of the entire subway system.

Faced with the protests and mass fare evasion, the Metro closed three of its six lines on Friday afternoon before shutting them all at nightfall.

The National Co-ordinator of Secondary Students, one of two groups representing high school students, called for the protest to continue.

Metro officials say the fare price was raised because of a devaluation of the currency, rising fuel costs and the need for maintenance.

Additional reporting by Associated Press