Bolivia's attorney general said Thursday that he could not confirm or rule out reports saying that Deputy Interior Minister Rodolfo Illanes had been beaten to death by striking mineworkers.

"At this moment we cannot confirm whether he (Illanes) is kidnapped and still alive or is possibly dead," Ramiro Guerrero told a press conference in the southeastern city of Sucre.

Illanes left on Thursday for Panduro, about 180 km from the capital of La Paz, to negotiate with miners demanding changes to laws about the suspension of their protests. He was kidnapped by them.

Guerrero said he had sent prosecutors to investigate the kidnapping and obtain information from the police.

Moise Flores, a reporter from radio station Fedecomin, said he had seen the body of the 56-year-old deputy minister in a hill near Panduro.

A government source said several ministers had met but could not confirm whether a minister would speak to the press at the moment.

The National Federation of Mining Cooperatives of Bolivia began what it said would be an indefinite protest after negotiations over mining legislation failed.

Protesters have been demanding more mining concessions, the right to work for private companies and greater union representation.

Interior Minister Carlos Romero said deals between mining cooperatives and private sector companies are not allowed by the Constitution, and claimed that the real objective of the protests is "blackmail."

Protests by the miners have turned violent since Aug. 10, when the miners took police officers hostage, torturing them and stealing their equipment before releasing them the next day.

Two workers were killed Wednesday after being shot by police, and the government said 17 police officers had been wounded.

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