At least 17 people have been killed in anti-government clashes between protesters and police in southern Peru, according to officials.

The clashes in Juliaca, a city in the Puno region, also left 68 people injured, local health ministry official Henry Rebaza told state-run channel TV Peru.

According to the ministry, two teenagers were among those killed and some of the bodies had bullet wounds, Puno’s regional health director Ismael Cornejo told local radio station RPP.

The death toll marks the deadliest day so far of protests by supporters of the country’s former president Pedro Castillo, who was ousted in December. They want early elections and have called for his release.

The country’s prime minister Alberto Otarola said thousands of protesters tried to invade Juliaca’s airport, as images showed demonstrators aiming sling-shots at police.

Mr Rebaza said 28 officers were injured and were unable to be evacuated from the airport.

Reuters news agency reported a witness had recorded footage of gunshots and smoke on the streets in Juliaca, as protesters took cover behind large metal plates and road signs.

Separate footage showed people administering CPR to a man lying motionless on the ground in a blood-stained sweater, and individuals with severe injuries in a crowded hospital waiting room.

Mr Castillo was ousted and then arrested after he illegally tried to dissolve parliament to avoid an impeachment vote he feared losing.

The country’s former vice president Dina Boularte was then sworn in as leader, but since then pro-Castillo protesters have held demonstrations and clashed with police.

Since the protests began in early December, officials say 39 people have died and hundreds of others injured.

Peru’s human rights office, known as the Ombudsman Office, has called for police to comply with international standards in using force and for investigations into the deaths, while urging protesters to refrain from attacking property or setting up road blocks which might impede the movement of ambulances.

Earlier on Monday, officials said a newborn had died while being transferred from the town of Yunguyo, southeast of Juliaca, to a local hospital in an ambulance that had been delayed by a street blockade.

Mr Castillo, who was elected in 2019, is serving 18 months of pre-trial detention on charges of rebellion, which he denies.

Alongside Ms Boularte’s resignation, protesters are also calling for the closure of Congress and changes to the constitution.

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