State of emergency declared in Santiago after violent demonstrations

SANTIAGO (Reuters) – Chilean President Sebastian Pinera declared a state of emergency in Santiago Saturday morning as protests against rising ticket prices rocked into violence on Friday and caused chaos in the capital. all metro stations have been closed.

Protesters dressed in black vandalized shops, set fire to several subway stations and set fire to a bus on public transit rush hour Friday afternoon, according to witnesses, television footage and social networks.

"In the coming days, our government will call for dialogue (…) to relieve the suffering of those affected by the price increase," said Sebastian Pinera in a televised speech, saying he wants to invoke a special law to prosecute the "criminals" responsible for the damage done throughout Santiago.

Frustrations with the rise in the cost of living in the capital have fueled political tensions, prompting multiple calls for reform – be they taxes, the labor code or the pension system.

High school students and students initiated the protest movement after the government raised the cost of the ticket on October 6, citing as reasons the rising cost of energy and the weakness of the national currency, the peso.

The movement swung into violence Friday afternoon, pushing the authorities to decide the closure of all 136 metro stations in Santiago. No trains will run during the weekend, have warned the authorities, because of "significant damage" making normal operations impossible.