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Posted
on 20-Apr-02 03:22 PM
Police have stormed a Mexican town to release 32 electricity engineers being held hostage by residents.
Protesters in Puerto Madero captured the workers after several residents had their electricity cut off.
Almost 400 federal and state police were sent in to free the engineers after the residents set up road blocks.
The Federal Electricity Commission says it only cut power supplies to customers who had not paid their bills.
Local fisherman are claiming compensation over the lack of refrigeration facilities for their daily catch.
A state government spokesman said: "Since Puerto Madero residents were unwilling to solve the problem through dialogue, the only option was to send in federal and state police."
Police arrested 15 people for allegedly damaging federal property and assaulting journalists. Protestors claimed they had treated the hostages well but a local radio station said one engineer was taken to hospital suffering heat exhaustion.
The News Mexico website reports the Commission has been involved in an ongoing dispute with local residents.
As many as 50,000 people living near the Guatemalan border have stopped paying their bills, claiming the rates are too high.
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