President Alan Garcia laboured to contain Peru’s worst political violence in years, as nine more police officers were killed in a bloody standoff with Amazon Indians fighting his efforts to exploit oil and gas on their native lands.
The new deaths brought to 22 the number of police killed - seven with spears - since security forces moved early on Friday to break up a roadblock manned by 5,000 protesters.
Protest leaders said at least 30 Indians, including three children, died in the clashes.
Authorities said they could confirm only nine civilian deaths, but cabinet chief Yehude Simon told reporters that 155 people had been injured, about a third of them with bullet wounds.
He announced a 3pm-6am curfew in the affected region and said authorities had made 72 arrests.
"The government was required to take these measures, not only for the president of the republic but for all 28 million Peruvians," Mr Simon said of breaking up the protests, which blocked the flow of oil and gas out of the
Amazon and prevented food and supplies from coming in.
"We've all been affected one way or another by the protest ... when they take over highways and strategic points that can affect the national economy."
The political violence is the Andean country's worst since the Shining Path insurgency was quelled more than a decade ago, and it bodes ill for Mr Garcia's ambitious plans to boost Peru's oil and gas output.
AP