Shocking photos of man set on fire during political riots graphically highlights the deadly unrest sweeping across Venezuela
Demonstrator catches fire as masked yobs hurl petrol bombs and stones amid shortages of food and medicine
A PROTESTER is lit up in a fireball as angry crowds clashed with riot police in Venezuela's capital Caracas.
The man caught fire as masked yobs hurled petrol bombs and stones at officers who responded with tear gas and rubber bullets.
An astonishing sequence of photos and local reports suggest the protester was engulfed in flames after the petrol tank of a police motorbike exploded.
Fellow anti-government demonstrators helped extinguish the flames and took him for medical aid.
Another protester was apparently run over after charging at an armoured car used by the National Guard.
Two opposition politicians were injured as thousands of Venezuelans took to the streets in protest at president Nicolas Maduro's plan to rewrite the constitution.
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Violence broke out when riot cops blocked demonstrators from marching on government buildings in the city centre where Mr Maduro was addressing supporters.
It was the latest in more than a month of clashes that have killed at least 31 people amid shortages of food, medicine and basic goods.
Opponents accuse the socialist president of "fraud" in bypassing the National Assembly to push through constitutional reforms that would strengthen his grip on power.
He has for months been resisting calls for a vote to remove him from office.
Senior opposition leader Henrique Capriles said Mr Maduro was trying to dodge local elections due this year and a presidential poll due in late 2018.
He said: "Since they cannot win elections they want to impose the Cuban electoral model to keep themselves in power."
Cuba, the only one-party communist regime in the Americas, is Mr Maduro's closest ally.
The president, who took over after Hugo Chavez died in 2013, says the crisis is the result of a US-backed capitalist conspiracy as the price of Venezuela's main export, oil, has plummeted.
Mr Maduro accused the opposition of "moving into a phase of armed insurgency" adding: "In these grave circumstances, the only way to ensure peace is a constituent assembly."
The past month of protests has shut down many schools and businesses, and Caracas' once-vibrant nightlife has died due to fears of violence and looting.
Venezuela has seen three attempted military coups since 1992. In 2014, clashes at anti-government protests killed 43 people.
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