Peru: The story of 11 seriously injured, the other tragic balance of the protests (La República [Spanish] - 2/3/2023)
Peru: The story of 11 seriously injured, the other tragic balance of the protest (Spanish)
Lives in limbo. These are the citizens who participated or were simple spectators at protests who were hit by projectiles that have left them prostrate, some in Intensive Care Units (ICUs). If they recover, their lives will not be the same.
Rolando Marcas Arango, born in Lircay, Angaraes (Huancavelica), was with a group of protesters, on the night of Saturday, January 28, at the intersection of Nicolás de Piérola and Abancay avenues. A lone member of the Police who was some forty meters away, for no reason at that time, fired a tear gas canister from his shotgun towards the point where Rolando Marcas, 36, was located. The projectile caused serious brain trauma. Surgery saved his life, but his situation is still critical.
“A few days after I found out about his hospitalization, I came (from Huancavelica) to Lima and found him connected to oxygen. That's what keeps him alive. He only rarely breathes on his account,” said his brother Edgar Marcas Arango.
“They are trying to control the inflammation of the head and after that they will be able to give a prognosis for life. Sometimes it seems as if he is already dead," he added.
The impact that Rolando Marcas received is similar to the case of Víctor Santisteban Yacsavilca, who lost his life on the same night of Saturday, January 28.
Doctors estimate that Marcas Arango will spend 30 days in evaluation to determine his future status. "Everything is reserved, they cannot give us the exact information, we are only receiving oral information and she is not encouraging," lamented her brother.
Rolando Marcas is a bricklayer and the sole breadwinner for his family. He has two younger daughters, ages 9 and 16. “At the moment, we are assuming within the family, but we lack the economy”, said Edgar Marcas. To help his brother, Marcas left transfer number via Yape: 981935164.
The injured belong to low-income families, so they turn to social networks to receive donations. Medical expenses are high. Many have had to come from the provinces because their loved ones are in hospitals in Lima.
Elvis Delgado Medina was admitted to the Belén de Trujillo hospital, in La Libertad, with a diagnosis of respiratory failure. The reason: exposure to large amounts of tear gas. Divar Huanca Apaza has a “moderate” status for the same reason: tear gas poisoning.
The rest of the patients who are still fighting for their lives in an ICU were injured by firearm projectiles. In Puno, four people suffered complex fractures and suffer from abdominal trauma.
In Lima, there are four seriously injured after being shot by the Peruvian National Police (PNP). One unidentified person suffered a skull fracture, while the other three faced brain trauma caused by projectiles fired by the PNP.
Another three patients in critical condition are in Cusco. Roberto Barrantes Álvaro has a vascular lesion. Rosalino Flores Valverde has multiple abdominal traumas. And Javier Izquierdo Silvestres suffers an excessive accumulation of blood in the chest walls.
In almost all cases, relatives affirm that the Public Ministry has not asked about the wounded. It had been announced that the facts would be investigated to identify those responsible.
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