Death toll rises to 29 in Chile protests

At least one protester has died in the latest demonstrations in Chile, the National Institute of Human Rights (NHRI) confirmed Saturday, taking the overall death toll to 29 during months of unrest.

Friday's rally took place in Santiago's Plaza Italia, the epicenter of protests against President Sebastian Pinera's right-wing government since October.

The independent INDH, in a message on their official Twitter account, reported the fatality without giving further details.

The death brings the total number of those killed in the protests -- the most severe outbreak of social unrest since the end of the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet nearly 30 years ago -- to 29.

Demonstrators had gathered to protest on the last Friday of the year despite a heavy police presence.

Authorities have been trying to restore calm in downtown Santiago over the crisis as Chileans have taken to the streets to register their anger over inequality and to vent at the elites that control much of the country's wealth.