A protest in Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires, turned violent Wednesday, leaving two people dead and 90 injured. One hundred and sixty protesters were detained.
Federal police fired tear gas and rubber bullets from behind shields as they tried to break up a crowd of protesters blocking a major bridge in downtown Buenos Aires.
Hundreds of people fought back by throwing rocks. They were mostly unemployed Argentines unhappy with government efforts to end Argentina's economic crisis.
President Eduardo Duhalde had warned demonstrators he would use force if they blocked traffic.
Street protests have taken place almost daily in Argentina since the peso was devalued last year, and they have grown larger as the peso has fallen further, losing more than 70 percent of its value.
This was the first time a protest turned deadly since last December, when 27 people were killed.
President Duhalde, struggling with the financial crisis, has dispatched his economy minister, Roberto Lavagna, to Washington, in an effort to secure an emergency loan from the International Monetary Fund.