“It is causing serious harm”: Hundreds of passengers stranded by road blockades in Santa Cruz

Passengers are bearing the brunt of at least four blockades disrupting roads from Santa Cruz to Beni and Cochabamba. Buses, private vehicles, cargo trucks and other vehicles cannot pass through the affected stretches.

Travelers who cannot continue are transferring to other vehicles and walking several kilometers with their luggage before finding another way forward. Some families are stranded with pets, while others had already completed their trips and were due to return.

One passenger told El Deber that she and her son were trying to reach Camiri and had been misled about connecting buses waiting at the blockade. She said she was traveling for medical treatment and appealed to the government to listen to vulnerable people undergoing care.

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It is causing serious harm. My son and I are here with our suitcases. We have to travel to Camiri, and look what we have encountered.

The Santa Cruz-Beni road has three reported blockades: one in Cuatro Cañadas and two in San Julián. Another blockade in Yapacaní affects the road linking Santa Cruz with Cochabamba. The disruptions have forced passengers to pay more for transport and carry their belongings on foot.

Some locations have not agreed to a pause in the protests. Producers are working to arrange a technical dialogue with the government, but the pressure measures continue and the roads remain closed.

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I am going for medical treatment. Imagine the harm this causes. As a mother and as a sick person, I want to call on the government to reflect and listen to the most vulnerable, the people who are undergoing medical treatment.