Twenty-six people have been killed since the latest wave of protests against Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro broke out four days ago, the Caracas-based Observatory of Social Conflict said on Thursday.

The previous toll from the protests — which began when a group of soldiers took over a command post in the north of the capital in defiance of the socialist regime — had stood at 16.

In some places, armed forces have fired tear gas and rubber bullets to subdue protesters, some of whom threw stones.