Police dispersing rioters with tear gas
The August 2016 Bolivian miners' strike occurred in August 2016 when the National Federation of Mining Cooperatives for Bolivia's workers went on strike to demand more mining concessions, the right to work for private companies, and greater union representation. The workers blocked the Panduro highway south of La Paz, and they took Deputy Interior Minister Rodolfo Illanes hostage before killing him and his bodyguard on 26 August 2016. This led to police cracking down on the strikers, killing two of them with live fire and arresting 100 more; several people were dispersed by tear gas.