Five Peruvians were killed and dozens injured in a weekend of clashes between police and miners protesting new regulations for independent mining operations, government and union officials said Monday.
The dead included three miners, one taxi driver and an unidentified person in clashes near Chala along the Pan-American highway some 600 kilometers (375 miles) south of Lima.
An estimated 7,000 people were participating in ongoing protests Monday that blocked the key highway, prompting warnings from officials that they would seek to keep traffic open.
The clashes came as the government moved to crack down on illegal mining operations by individuals and groups without permits, which officials say is linked to deforestation of the Amazon and child labor exploitation.
Union officials accused police of opening fire on the protesters.
The interior ministry said 29 people were hurt, and 32 were arrested during the incidents.
Justice Minister Victor Garcia Toma said there would be no talks: "We are not going to negotiate with someone with dynamite in their hands."
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