Oaxaca, Mexico, Jun 19 (EFE).- Teachers from the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca who oppose an education overhaul and security forces engaged in violent confrontations Sunday that left at least three dead, authorities said.

In a statement, the state government confirmed the deaths in the clashes in the municipality of Asuncion Nochixtlan and said 45 others were wounded.

The clashes started when federal and state law enforcement officers moved in to clear a roadblock set up by members of Local 22 of the CNTE teachers union on the Oaxaca-Puebla federal highway in that municipality.

The coordinator of Local 22's political committee, Juan Garcia, identified two of the fatal victims as Andres Aguilar, 23, and Yalid Jimenez, 28.

The clashes lasted more than two hours and left dozens injured by stones and other projectiles and firearms.

Oaxaca authorities said at least six police officers had been wounded by gunfire, one of whom suffered head trauma, and 21 people had been arrested, although the CNTE put the number of detainees at 100.

The teachers torched a truck to prevent officers from advancing, regrouped after being dislodged and set up a new roadblock in the same area. They also overturned official vehicles.

The union, a powerful labor organization that has around 200,000 members, opposes the 2013 education overhaul implemented by President Enrique Peña Nieto's administration.

The CNTE contends that the teacher evaluation process introduced by the overhaul is punitive and fails to account for regional differences in educational methods. EFE



SHOT LIST: FOOTAGE OF THE DESTRUCTION OF HIGHWAY 190 OAXACA-MEXICO PROVIDED BY GRACIANO COMEZ.



Keywords: efe,mexico,reform,protests