Striking Miners Beat To Death Bolivian Minister Rodolfo Illanes

Striking miners have beaten to death Bolivia's deputy interior minister after he attempted to mediate with them, officials have confirmed.

Rodolfo Illanes was "savagely beaten", defence minister Reymi Ferreira told a local television station.

Government minister Carlos Romero called it a "cowardly and brutal killing" and asked that the body be handed over to authorities.

The killing follows the earlier deaths of two protesters in clashes with police - deaths that raised tensions in the bitter strike over the country's mining laws.

Mr Illanes had gone to Panduro, 80 miles (130km) south of the La Paz, to try to mediate with the miners who have blockaded a motorway there since Monday.

Thousands of passengers and vehicles have been left stranded on blocked roads.

Officials say Mr Illanes was taken hostage by the miners on Thursday morning.

He tweeted at midday: "My health is fine, my family can be calm." There were reports that he had heart problems.

The miners are demanding more mining concessions, the right to work for private companies, and greater union representation.

There are about 100,000 miners in the country who work in self-managed cooperatives.

They want to be allowed to work with private companies which is presently banned - the government argues they will stop being cooperatives if they work with multinational businesses.

The National Federation of Mining Cooperatives of Bolivia, once strong allies of leftist President Evo Morales, began what it said would be an indefinite protest after negotiations over mining legislation failed.