Volkswacht Bodensee - Bolivia police officer blown up by pro-Morales demonstrators

Clashes between police and Morales's backers, who are demanding that he be given a shot to return to power, have left at least five dead, including four officers, according to officials.

The protests, which began over a week ago, have also grown into a wider revolt against incumbent President Luis Arce, marked by calls for his resignation over his handling of a severe economic crisis.

Deputy Interior Minister Jhonny Aguilera told reporters that officer Christian Calle was "kidnapped by a mob" and killed after protesters inserted dynamite in his body and detonated it.

The grisly attack took place in Llallagua, a mining town in the country's southwest, where three officers deployed to clear a roadblock were shot dead on Wednesday.

The police moved in after local residents, complaining of food and water shortages, had themselves tried to dismantle the barricades, triggering clashes that left 17 injured.

Elsewhere, in the central Cochabamba region, a farmer was killed while handling explosives, Interior Minister Roberto Rios said.

In all, 54 people have been injured in clashes in Llallagua and Cochabamba, the health ministry said.

The wounded include several officers.

- 'Unacceptable' -

Rios blasted the "unacceptable levels of violence" against the police, saying they were being killed by protesters "armed with big rifles."

Morales's lawyer Nelson Cox gave a toll of three killed among the protesters and said two had been shot dead.

Supporters of Morales, who led the Andean country from 2006 to 2019, began blocking key roads in the center and south of the country on June 2 over the refusal by electoral authorities to register his candidacy in August 17 elections.

On Thursday evening, military contingents arrived in Llallagua. Aguilera had earlier said they would be sent in to "guarantee a state of calm and of peace."

President Arce meanwhile said that a day of joint operations by police and the Army had managed to open up the highways connecting La Paz, Oruro and Cochabamba.

But more roadblocks remained on roads connecting Cochabamba with Santa Cruz, the country's wealthiest department.

Jan Jarab, the UN human rights office's regional representative for South America called for an "impartial and thorough investigation" to ensure accountability for the deaths.

Morales, 65, has been barred by the Constitutional Court from seeking re-election but nevertheless attempted, in vain, to register as a candidate last month.

The government accuses him of trying to sabotage the election by calling for blockades to sow chaos.

The protesters' goal "is to encircle La Paz to force it into submission through hunger," President Arce said Wednesday as he announced a joint police and military operation against the blockades.

On Monday, the attorney general said Morales was under investigation for "terrorism" for allegedly inciting the protests.

Bolivia's first Indigenous president has been holed up in his stronghold of Cochabamba since October to avoid arrest on charges of trafficking a minor.

The charges relate to Morales's alleged sexual relationship with a 15-year-old with whom he is accused of fathering a child while in office. He denies the charges.

Morales retains a large following in the South American country, particularly among Indigenous communities.

T.Suter--VB