The second day of a two-day strike against unpopular President Sebastian Pinera has taken place in Chile.
Up to 50,000 demonstrators battled police in the capital in a protest that was marked by sporadic looting, but had no impact on the vital mining sector.
Youths blocked roads, threw rocks and set fire to piles of rubbish at some intersections in Santiago and other cities to block traffic.
Police used water cannon and tear gas to defuse the latest rash of social unrest against the conservative billionaire Pinera's policies.
The government said hundreds of people had been detained since Wednesday and several police officers badly wounded, two of them shot, as violence flared overnight when dozens of shops and supermarkets were looted and buses damaged.
Led by students demanding free education, hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets in recent months to call for greater distribution of the spoils of a copper price boom in the world's top producer of the metal.
An estimated 50,000 marched in Santiago, with many protesting peacefully, one dressed as Argentine revolutionary Ernesto 'Che' Guevara and another as Chile's former socialist president, Salvador Allende, although clashes with police increased as the day went on.
The Chilean government said only about 10% of public sector workers had joined the strike called by Chile's main umbrella labor union.
Led by students demanding free education, hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets in recent months to call for greater distribution of the income of a copper price boom in the world's top producer of the metal.
Organisers said around 600,000 people had joined the protest across Chile, with estimated crowds in the capital alone at around 200,000 people.
The Chilean government gave no immediate estimate.
Operations at some of the world's biggest copper mines were not affected by the protests that also seek to pressure the government into raising wages and revamping the constitution and tax system.
The government said only about 10% of public sector workers had joined the strike called by Chile's main umbrella labour union, CUT.
The government said hooded protesters had looted and damaged shops, business and supermarkets overnight.
Protest leaders disowned the violence, and said it was time the government listened with humility.
