Riots broke out today in Rosario, in the northeast Argentinabetween police and residents who attacked the homes of people involved, they argued, in a shootout between rival drug gangs that resulted in the death of a child.

Police used plastic bullets to disperse a rock-throwing mob that had begun demolishing the walls of a small brick house in a working-class area of ​​the city, TV footage showed.

The police took the tenant out of the house. Then a search was made in the house, the gathered took away furniture, electrical goods and toys. Neighbors continued to demolish it with sledgehammers. Another house was engulfed in flames, but with the timely intervention of fire brigades, the fire did not reach proportions.

Local security minister Claudio Brigioni told reporters that the incidents reflect public anger towards drug dealers. On the night of Saturday to Sunday, four children aged 2 to 14 were injured in a shootout.. One of them, an 11-year-old boy, later died from his injuries.

“There is a battle for control of the area between a local group and another group that came from other places (…) to control human trafficking,” said prosecutor Adrian Spelta, who is investigating the case. The attackers opened fire from the car and hit four children who were playing “next to the person who was being targeted,” he added.

Rosario, Argentina’s third most populous city, has become a drug-trafficking crossroads in recent years. At the same time, it has become one of the most dangerous cities in the country, with 287 murders in 2022 alone, five times the national average.

Source: APE-MPE-AFP.