Thousands of miners clashed with police in Bolivia's administrative capital, La Paz, on Thursday, as protests over the country's deepening economic crisis intensified. Demonstrators attempting to enter the Plaza Murillo — the city's central square, home to the presidential palace — threw what witnesses described as explosive devices, while police responded with tear gas and stun grenades. Small explosions from dynamite sticks, a tool commonly carried by Bolivian miners, were also heard during the confrontations. The unrest marks a sharp escalation in weeks of demonstrations that have paralysed large parts of the country.

The protests, which span mining unions, farmers, teachers, transport workers and indigenous groups, are driven by Bolivia's worst economic crisis in a generation. The country, once a major exporter of natural gas, has seen its reserves collapse in recent years, forcing it to become a net energy importer. The resulting shortage of foreign currency has triggered soaring inflation, fuel queues, and severe shortages of food and medical supplies. After ten days of road blockades — with at least 24 reported blockage points across the La Paz department alone — the consequences have become critical: four tanker trucks carrying roughly 40 tonnes of medical oxygen remain stranded on blocked highways, unable to reach 12 hospitals in La Paz and four in the neighbouring city of El Alto. The health ministry has announced an emergency airlift to resupply hospitals, though quantities and timelines remain unclear. Authorities report that two women have died in the La Paz region after emergency services could not reach them due to the blockades.

Centre-right President Rodrigo Paz, who was elected in October last year on a platform of market-oriented economic reform, now faces the same calls for resignation that brought down his predecessor from the left-wing Movement Towards Socialism (MAS). Earlier on Thursday, a delegation of around 20 miners met with Paz at the presidential palace, where Economy Minister José Gabriel Espinoza said the government was