Deadly Argentina looting spreads as police go on strike

Buenos Aires. At least five people have been killed as looting spreads through Argentina.Hundreds have been injured as people took advantage of a police strike to rob shops and homes.Police have refused to go on patrol until their demands for a salary rise are met.Their move follows a police walkout in Cordoba province last week which also led to lootings, and which was settled after the governor almost doubled officers’ pay.Widespread unrestSeventeen out of Argentina’s 23 provinces have been affected. In 10 provinces police remain on strike, while in another seven, officers say they may have reached a deal.The governor of Buenos Aires, Argentina’s most populous province, managed to avert a strike by agreeing to almost double the entry-level salary of the police to 8,500 pesos (£830; $1,360) a month.Nevertheless, thousands of shops closed early for fear of that looting would spread to the capital.On Sunday night, a young man was electrocuted in the city of Concordia, in north-eastern Entre Rios province, when he came in contact with loose cabling in a looted shop.Another man was killed in the north-western province of Jujuy, and three more were shot dead in the city of Resistencia in north-eastern Chaco province.All of the deaths occurred inside stores which were being ransacked.The government said the lootings were being co-ordinated “by political forces” through social media and blamed the opposition for the unrest. Cabinet chief Jorge Capitanich described the unrest as “treason” aimed at spreading fear and chaos on the eve of the 30th anniversary of Argentina’s return to democracy on 10 December 1983.