Hooded suspects set fire to truck in Araucanía Region

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TEMUCO.- At approximately 2:00 AM this morning, a group of hooded individuals set fire to a truck carrying polypropylene along Route 5 South, near the area of Vilcún, in the IX Araucanía Region.

According to information received from Radio Digital, the incident occurred after 20 people lit a bonfire in the middle of the road, forcing the Mercedes Benz truck to stop at kilometer 671 of the highway.

Armed with guns, the assailants order the driver of the truck, identified as Victor Escalona, to get out. The individuals then proceeded to throw a Molotov bomb into the vehicle's cabin.

The fire quickly burned the front part of the truck, but thanks to rapid response of Fire Station # 5 of Temuco, the flames did not reach the tank of the highly flammable polypropylene.

According to a statement given by Escalona to the police, the attackers may have been Mapuche activists.

A second truck, which did not stop after seeing the bonfire, suffered various bullet-holes to its exterior. The driver, however, was not injured.