A protester in Minsk has died from injuries caused by an explosive device he tried to throw at police, Belarusian authorities said, as mass demonstrations against the results of the presidential election continued yesterday.
According to RT, the Interior Ministry of Belarus confirmed the death of a man in Minsk on Monday evening, after a clash with riot police that tried to remove the barricade set up by protesters across Pritytsky Avenue, in the western part of the Belarusian capital.
“One of the protesters tried to throw an unidentified explosive device at law enforcement officers. It exploded in his hand” and caused “injuries incompatible with life,” a spokesman for the ministry told reporters.
Sputnik Belarus reported that protesters on Pritytsky Avenue used Molotov cocktails to target police. Drone footage on Monday evening showed a large crowd of people blocking the avenue near the Pushkinskaya subway station, and there were reports of police using flash-bang grenades to disperse them. At some point, a city bus was set ablaze.
This is the first confirmed death in the protests. There were numerous reports of injuries in local media, and thousands of protesters have been detained, according to RT.
The Telegraph says the whereabouts of Mrs. Tikhanouskaya – who has claimed victory in Sunday's poll and called for Mr. Lukashenko to step down – were unknown as of late Monday.
