La Paz, August 19 (teleSUR-RHC)-- A police officer has died and 10 others have been injured after local residents clashed with police over a gold mine dispute taking place north of La Paz, the government reported on Tuesday. 
 
The police officer died after falling 200 meters into a ravine, while other officers were allegedly attacked with stones and sticks. 
 
The clashes took place in the municipality of Tacacoma on Monday when police arrived to enforce a court order relating to a dispute over a gold mine operated by a private company.

The police were ordered to evict locals who took over the mine days earlier in protest against the private mining company Rosario de Ananea, which had allegedly breached a compensation agreement to exploit the mine.

The Interior Ministry of Government "denounced this criminal attack against the security forces and warns that it will act firmly" against "the perpetrators of this crime," and provided a list of the 10 soldiers who were injured and taken to hospitals in La Paz.
 
Local activists said the clashes could have been prevented if the private mining corporation had respected their agreement. 

The agreement was reportedly made three weeks earlier, but the mining cooperative obtained a ruling in their favor by the Administrative Judicial Mining Authority. The police officers were deployed to the mine site to comply with the order. 
 
Tacacoma Mayor Carlos Aguilar urged government authorities on Tuesday to intervene in the region in order to facilitate dialogue and ease rising tension.