Tensions have flared again in Peru as police clashed with protesters in capital Lima in anti-government demonstrations that are spreading across the country. These clashes have left 53 people dead.

Iran PressAmerica: Thousands of protesters demanding ouster of President Dina Boluarte pour into capital Lima, clashing with police and receiving tear gas.

Police officers used tear gas to repel demonstrators throwing glass bottles and stones, as fires burned in the streets, local TV footage showed.

The unrest paused for a short-lived respite on Friday after clashes between protesters and police on Thursday night.

Residents awoke on Friday morning to find one of the city's most historic buildings burnt to the ground during a night of tumult, as the president vowed to get tougher on "vandals."

The destruction of the building, a near-century-old mansion in central Lima, was described by officials as the loss of a "monumental asset." Authorities are investigating the causes.

It came after thousands of protesters descended on the city earlier this week calling for change and angered by the protests' mounting death toll, which rose to 53 on friday . 219