Venezuela protesters
© AFP
More than 400 people were arrested after mass looting in the northern Venezuelan city of Cumana Wednesday, Luis Acuna, governor of the state of Sucre, said as quoted by local media.

The governor said that 400 people were detained in the Venezuelan city of Cumana for looting shops with many of them being underage, Globovision TV-channel reported.

Acuna also confirmed deaths of two people in Cumana on Tuesday but dismissed the allegations that people were killed during clashes. He said that the unrest in the city was caused by vandalism committed by criminal gangs.

Earlier Venezuelan opposition reported that up to 78 trade outlets were looted in Cumana on Tuesday by people who waited for trucks with food.

In January, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro declared an economic emergency in the country two days after Venezuela's oil price dropped to $24 a barrel, the lowest mark in 12 years. Up to 96 percent of Venezuela's budget depends on oil revenues. The measure has since been extended.