The principle medical organization in Chile announced Thursday that well over 200 people have lost their sight, either partially or completely, due to being shot by pellets fired by state security agents during protests in the South American country.
Of those, at least 50 people will require prosthetic eyes said Dr. Patricio Meza, vice president of the Medical College of Chile. "This means that the patient doesn't only lose their vision, but they lose their actual eye."
Read more: Chile: protests continue as currency takes a hit
Additional statistics from the medical body showed that the average age of victims is 30. In a large majority of the cases, the wound is caused by the impact of a lead or rubber projectile on their eyes, the Medical College confirmed.
"We are facing a real health crisis, a health emergency given that in such few days, in three weeks, we have had the highest number of cases involving serious ocular complications due to shots in the eye," Meza added.
The police "are firing at 90 degrees, which is to say, directly at the face," said Meza.
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Chile's deadly protests — in pictures
Violent reaction
Protesters seek cover from riot police wielding a baton. The latest protest followed a short break in the wave of demonstrations in which several people have died, forcing the cancellation of two upcoming international summits.
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Chile's deadly protests — in pictures
Third week of protests
In this image, a man is dressed as the the movie character "The Joker" while brandishing a Mapuche indigenous flag. Many Chileans were on a long holiday weekend and the latest protest was relatively small compared to previous efforts.
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Chile's deadly protests — in pictures
Women join forces for peaceful march
Dressed in black, marching silently and raising one fist, around a thousand women have demanded justice for those killed during the civil unrest in Chile. Their march started off a day of demonstrations on a long weekend in the Latin American country, expanding later as tens of thousands answered social media calls to match previous protests that attracted more than a million people.
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Chile's deadly protests — in pictures
A national protest
The sight of soldiers on the streets is unsettling for many citizens of a country still haunted by memories of military rule under dictator Augusto Pinochet. Armored personnel carriers drove slowly through the streets deploying heavily-armed troops as violence worsened in the capital, Santiago, and across the country. Here, one demonstrator waves a Chilean flag as the troops spread out.
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Chile's deadly protests — in pictures
Hundreds of arrests
Although Chile is one of South America's wealthiest economies, resentment has been rising over increased living costs and the shortcomings of public services. With Santiago engulfed in rioting over several days, security forces and protesters clashed repeatedly.
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Chile's deadly protests — in pictures
Widening wealth gap
The protests began over a planned hike in transport fares last week, but have turned into a movement against Chile's economic model of creeping privatization, low wages and growing inequality.
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Chile's deadly protests — in pictures
State of emergency
Metro stations, buses and businesses were set ablaze as the protests began to turn violent. Soldiers were deployed on the capital's streets for the first time since the military dictatorship ended in 1990, and a state of emergency was imposed. Curfews were also put in place in several other Chilean cities.
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Chile's deadly protests — in pictures
Cloud of violence
Although President Sebastian Pinera canceled the planned hike in subway fares, the violence has only worsened, leading to nearly a dozen deaths. Tear gas has been used against the protesters, and the army confirmed it had shot people dead while chasing looters. Meanwhile, at least three people died when supermarkets were set on fire.
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Chile's deadly protests — in pictures
Asking for the impossible?
This demonstrator is holding a sign that reads "Let's be realistic, let's ask for the impossible." After meeting with heads of the legislature and judicial system, President Pinera has pledged to seek "solutions" to "reduce excessive inequalities" in the country. Protesters, however, don't appear to placated.
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Chile's deadly protests — in pictures
Military advance
A demonstrator gestures as Chilean soldiers advance carrying their weapons, during a protest against the country's state economic model in Santiago. According to the Gini index, the most widely used international measure of inequality - for which the higher the number, the greater the inequality - Chile ranks as the most unequal country among a group of 30 of the world's wealthiest nations.
Author: Richard Connor
Referendum on constitution
More than 20 people have been killed and 2,500 injured since the protests began on October 18 in what started out as a student protest over an increase in subway fares.
However, it has since evolved into a much larger and broader movement, with a lengthy list of demands that are related to the ever-widening financial disparity between rich and less well-off Chileans. Citizens are calling for reforms to health care, education, the pension system, and the country's constitution.
Lawmakers in the National Congress on Thursday approved a pathway for a new constitution to replace the current charter enacted by the former military junta of Augusto Pinochet in 1980.
A referendum will be held in April on whether to proceed and voters will decide how the new constitution should be drafted.
mm, jsi/ng (AP, AFP)
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