Sydney man almost shot dead at by rifle-wielding soldier in Chile

It was supposed to be the holiday of a lifetime, but Sydney resident Pierre soon had his life on the line within moment of landing in Chile.

Pierre was caught up in the demonstrations in Chile.

It was supposed to be the holiday of a lifetime, but Pierre’s journey to Chile turned to turmoil almost as soon as he landed in the currently turbulent country.

As all eyes are on the protests unfolding in Hong Kong, thousands of demonstrators have swept the streets of Santiago as unrest enters its second month.

This week, riot police used tear gas and rubber bullets against protesters who threw molotov cocktails and stormed the streets. At least twenty-two people have died and more than 2,000 have been injured since the protests broke out in mid-October.

As many tourists have chosen not to fulfil their holidays to Chile as chaos spills through the city, Pierre decided to go ahead with his trip – but quickly found himself caught up in the carnage.

Pierre was caught up in the demonstrations in Chile.

Having always wanted to visit Chile, Pierre knew that he would be travelling during a turbulent time when he jetted in to the country in October.

But despite the warnings around ongoing protests, visiting Chile – and venturing to the desert region of Atacama in the northern part of the country – was on his “to-do-before-I-die” list, and so he went ahead with the solo adventure.

“I wanted to travel by myself … and experience something outside of my comfort zone,” he told news.com.au “But I didn’t expect it would be that far away from my comfort zone!”

Pierre found himself in danger just six nights in to his two week holiday, after getting caught up in a riot near one of the protests taking over the city.

Riots have taken over Santiago since protests broke out in October. Picture: CLAUDIO REYES / AFP.

Thousands have been injured during the riots on Chile. Picture: Marcelo Hernandez/Getty Images.

“This trip was the best and the worst of my life,” he said.

“On the sixth night, I was walking back to my AirBnB in Valparaiso, a coastal city located 2 hours away from Santiago.

“There was civil and political unrest and riots that were shaking the country … so I knew I had to avoid coming back too late to my place.

“That evening I was a bit late on my way back home when I accidentally ended up in the middle of a protest. It all went wrong very quickly.”

Demonstrators have clashed with security forces during a protest demanding greater social reform from Chilean President Sebastian Pinera in Santiago. Picture: CLAUDIO REYES / AFP.

As the demonstrators broke out in a riot around him, clashing with police, a protester behind Pierre threw a bottle of beer at a soldier 50m in front of where he stood. In that moment, a rifle was pointed in his direction.

“The soldier, I guess, imagined the bottle was coming from me and pointed his rifle at me,” Pierre explained.

“I had the safety reflex to jump aside just in case he would open fire … hoping to dodge a bullet.

“Thank God he didn’t shoot at this moment and just started running after the protesters.”

The unrest in the city of Santiago began on October 18 when a rise in transport tickets of 30 Chilean pesos – about AU$0.05 – been slapped on to the price of rush hour Santiago Metro tickets. As a result, some of the peaceful protests have turned in to chaos.

Almost each day, the city descends into burning, looting and daily clashes between protesters and police.

The unrest in the city of Santiago began on October 18 with protesters demonstrating against a rise in transport tickets. Picture: REUTERS/Jorge Silva.

Pierre, who was on holiday in Chile, became caught up in the violent demonstrations. Picture: Marcelo Hernandez/Getty Images.

Prosecutors say 21 people have died, including five at the hands of security forces, and thousands injured.

Chile’s independent National Human Rights Institute says it has brought legal action over 179 cases, including alleged murders, sexual violence and torture by the military police, while a UN human rights mission is investigating allegations of police brutality.

On Pierre’s last night in Santiago, with riots breaking out around him, his life once again was put at risk.

Pierre was caught up in the demonstrations in Chile.

“I was heading back to my hotel to pick up my luggage and go to the city airport back to Sydney,” he explained.

“But the protesters and police were fighting on my hotel street. I was with a friend who suggested that we go to a restaurant and wait for the situation to calm down.

“We started having a drink at a restaurant in the centre of Santiago when waiters came to close and board up the windows as the protest had moved to in front of the restaurant.

A riot police officers is reached by a petrol bomb during clashes with demonstrators in Santiago. Picture: Claudio Reyes/AFP.

“The protesters were just outside knocking down traffic lights, burning stuff and the police were using tear gas and water cannons to try to disperse them.”

These past few weeks have been some of the most potent civil unrest riots in Chile’s recent history. While most of the demonstrators are peaceful, the smaller group of masked protesters using the streets to conduct violence and wreak havoc have resulted in the tourism industry feeling the pinch.

According to Reuters, hotel reservations are down by half and many have chosen to cancel their trips.

Ivan Marambio, a manager at the Principado hotel chain in Santiago, said the city won’t be able to handle much more unrest – especially for businesses relying on tourist dollars.

Tourism operators said the impact from lost tourist dollars has been “enormous”. Picture: Marcelo Hernandez/Getty Images.

“The losses are enormous … All the hotels are practically empty.”

Monica Zalaquett, Chile’s sub-secretary of tourism echoed Mr Marambio’s concerns, saying the region has seen reservations drop by around 50 per cent in November alone.

“What is tough for the industry is that there won’t be new reservations until the country’s situation stabilises.”

The unrest has had a dire impact on tourism in Chile. Picture: AP Photo/Esteban Felix.

Pierre said as one of the few tourists who went ahead with his holiday, the dramatic scenes he witnessed during his stay was like nothing he’d ever imagined.

“It was really scary,” Pierre explained.

“The atmosphere was so tense and explosive. It felt more like a civil war or a revolution than normal protests.

“I was terrified that last night in Santiago: I thought they were ready to burn down that restaurant with us inside.”