Two dead in clashes between police and residents protesting against a pork processing plant in Mexico

SAN ANTONIO LIMON, Mexico – Two people were killed Thursday when clashes broke out between residents and police in the Mexican Gulf coast state of Veracruz protesting alleged water pollution from a pork processing plant.

Residents of the municipality of San Antonio Limon had blocked a road and demanded that the government take action against the operation, which they said was responsible for groundwater pollution and excessive water consumption.

On Thursday, state security forces arrived in the community, also known as Totalco, and protesters reported that police began beating them and opening fire.

Brothers Alberto and Jorge Cortina Vázquez, aged 22 and 27 respectively, were killed, said the Veracruz state prosecutor’s office, which has launched an investigation.

A third brother, Carlos Cortina Vázquez, said his brothers were not even at the roadblock.

“They just walked by and when they (the police) started shooting, everyone ran,” he said. “Then they started shooting at them like they were animals.”

Residents said they tried to hide in their homes but were chased by about 400 police officers. Some showed bullet casings they said came from the security forces’ weapons.

The Veracruz State Attorney’s Office said in a statement that it had “launched a comprehensive investigation to clarify the regrettable events at Totalco.”

The Veracruz state security agency, the Interior Ministry, said in a statement that the protesters had detained two state police officers and threatened to kill them. They said the protesters were not willing to engage in dialogue.

“The termination of the dialogue by the same group of people has made the situation worse,” the agency said. The statement added that this was the second time that protesters had blocked the highway for more than two days. The case is also being investigated by the internal department of the state police, it said.

Three members of the state security forces were injured, the statement said.