Violent protests over high living costs on the French Caribbean island of Martinique have resulted in one death and multiple injuries, authorities have reported.
A man succumbed to gunshot wounds amid clashes between demonstrators and police, which also left 12 officers injured, one by gunfire. The fatality occurred during a looting incident at a shopping centre in Robert, though authorities confirmed police did not discharge their weapons.
The unrest, which began weeks ago, intensified last week with protesters looting shops, erecting burning barricades, and confronting law enforcement. Several stores and parking lots were set ablaze, while burnt-out vehicles blocked a major road in the capital, Fort-de-France.
The protests, initiated by the Assembly for the Protection of Afro-Caribbean Peoples and Resources (RPPRAC) in early September, demand food prices be adjusted to match those in mainland France. Current prices on the island are reportedly 40 per cent higher.
Schools across Martinique, home to about 350,000 residents, remained closed Thursday as a precautionary measure.
Authorities had previously imposed a nighttime curfew in parts of Fort-de-France and Lamentin, which has since been lifted.