UPDATED: Army in the streets of Chile, 3 killed by a fire inside a supermarket

Three people have been killed by a fire inside a supermarket in Santiago during a second night of protests in Chile.

Two died at the scene and the other died after being taken to hospital, mayor Karla Rubilar told reporters.

President Sebastián Piñera has suspended a rise in metro fares that sparked the protests, but unrest has continued despite the announcement.

The army is patrolling the streets of Chile’s capital Santiago after protesters paralysed the city’s subway system.

Stations were flooded and vandalised as part of demonstrations against a hike in fares.

Students also set up barricades and started fires at station entrances before attacking police vehicles.

Riot officers responded with tear gas but were forced to withdraw from some stations as the demonstrations quickly spread throughout the city.

The armed forces were in Santiago hours after President Sebastian Pinera announced a state of emergency.

Pinera had said he was imposing the state of emergency to guarantee “the security of residents”, and to protect “goods and the rights of each one of our compatriots… from the actions of true criminals”.

The protest began on Monday in response to a 4% increase in subway fares.

Via The Santiago Times/The Guardian