A policeman takes cover while a second bomb left by a miner explodes outside the National Congress in La Paz. The man, protesting the loss of his pension, blew himself up in the Congress building, killing 2 people. Photo by AFP
An angry miner with dynamite strapped to his chest blew himself up in Bolivia's congress Tuesday, killing two police officers and wounding 10 others. The suicide bomber - whose demand for early retirement benefits underscored the grievances of many low-paid miners in Bolivia - stormed into congress around midday and went to a part of the building away from the congressional chambers. The miner detonated his vest laced with at least five sticks of dynamite as congressional security police tried to negotiate. Police had evacuated congress earlier Tuesday after receiving reports that disgruntled miners planned to force their way into the building.