
Protests on the streets of Venezuela have descended into horrifying and violent scenes as the death toll rose amid ongoing anti-government demonstrations.

Gunmen killed two more people during political unrest in Venezuela on Monday, following a month of protests that have sparked politically-motivated shootings and clashes between security forces armed with rubber bullets and tear gas and protesters wielding rocks and Molotov cocktails.

Eleven people have also died during night-time looting.

The increasing violence raised the death toll to 23 in weeks of massive demonstrations against leftwing President Nicolas Maduro.

Protests on the streets of Venezuela have descended into horrifying and violent scenes as the death toll rises amid ongoing clashes

A masked Venezuelan opposition activist took part in a demo against leftwing President Nicolas Maduro

Gunmen killed two more people during political unrest in Venezuela following protests that have sparked politically-motivated shootings and clashes between security forces and protesters

Protesters sprawled in lawn chairs, worked on homework and played cards on main roads around Venezuela's cities on Monday, joining in sit-ins to disrupt traffic as the latest slap at the socialist government.

Thousands shut down the main highway in Caracas to express their anger with the increasingly embattled administration of President Nicolas Maduro. They turned the road into public plaza, with protesters settling in for picnics, reading books and reclining under umbrellas they brought to protect against the blazing Caribbean sun.

In the provinces, protests turned deadly. The public prosecutor announced that 54-year-old Renzo Rodriguez was killed by a gunshot to the chest Monday at a protest in the plains state of Barinas.

In the mountain town of Merida, state worker Jesus Sulbaran was fatally shot in the neck at a pro-government rally. In addition, five people were injured at the Merida protest, Venezuela ombudsman Tarek William Saab said.

The two killings raised to 23 the number of deaths linked to unrest that began almost a month ago over the Supreme Court's decision to gut the opposition-controlled congress of its powers.

The Caracas gathering was largely peaceful, though some protesters wrapped bandanas around their faces and threw stones at police, prompting state security forces to release a cloud of tear gas.

The Caracas gathering was largely peaceful, though some protesters wrapped bandanas around their faces and threw stones at police, prompting state security forces to release a cloud of tear gas

As the protests rumbled on, several other people were seriously injured and 'between life and death,' according to local officials

The return to violence in the streets of Venezuela after a weekend lull was certain to further stoke international concern over the country, whose economy is imploding despite vast oil reserves

A Venezuelan opposition activist is helped by friends during clashes after being injured on a bridge

The ruling Socialist Party accuses foes of seeking a violent coup with U.S. connivance, while the opposition says he is a dictator repressing peaceful protest

In the provinces, protests turned deadly with fire bombs being launched by furious activists destroying vehicles nearby

Two government trucks in eastern Caracas were set alight on a freeway by masked protesters who poured oil on the road. Police nearby did not immediately intervene

Violence flared in Venezuela as anti-government protestors in gas masks hurled stones at passing police in Caracas

Venezuelan opposition activists set up a barricade to block an avenue during a protest against President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas

The scenes turned increasingly violent as police forces on motorbikes confronted Venezuelan opposition activists

Three weeks of constant protests have involved violent clashes between the people of Caracas and riot police, and after a short respite over the weekend, things turned ugly once more

Juan Carlos Bautista passed the afternoon playing dominos.

'We want to be free. I'm here fighting for my children and my children's children,' he said.

The current wave of protests is the most intense the economically struggling country has seen since two months of anti-government protests in 2014 that left dozens dead.

But while those protests were led by young people who built flaming barricades in the street, this month's movement is attracting masses of older protesters, who say they are fighting not for themselves, but for the younger generations.

Protesters in at least a dozen other cities staged sit-ins, with some building barricades to stop traffic. In Caracas, protesters dragged concrete slabs, garbage and even a bathtub into the road.

Retired professor Lisbeth Colina said she decided to participate in the sit-in for her grandchildren.

'The side that gives up is the side that loses,' she said. 'We must remain in the streets. I'm not scared of the repression they're throwing at us,' she said.

A fireman tries to extinguish a fire during a rally against Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro

One Venezuelan opposition activist wears a mask depicting Caracas' former Mayor Antonio Ledezma

Security forces armed with rubber bullets and tear gas have clashed with protesters wielding rocks and Molotov cocktails

Thousands shut down the main highway in Caracas to express their anger with the increasingly embattled administration of President Nicolas Maduro

Maduro said Sunday that he wouldn't give in to opponents and again urged them rejoin negotiations they broke off in December. He also said the government had no plans to expropriate General Motors' Venezuelan subsidiary. A court last week ordered the seizure of a GM plant and the company responded by shuttering its operations in the country.

Former Dominican Republic President Leonel Fernandez came to Caracas on Monday to meet with Maduro. He had backed last year's negotiations, which collapsed over the government's refusal to meet opposition demands for elections and the release of political prisoners.

But opposition leaders had no plans to meet with Maduro. They are rejecting calls for dialogue and demanding the immediate scheduling of elections.

'The government wants to use negotiations as a ploy to divide us, demobilize us, and win itself time,' congress Vice President Freddy Guevara told reporters. 'This protest is an exercise in resistance and a test of our conviction.'

'I have an empty stomach because I can't find food,' said 66-year-old Jeannette Canozo, who claimed police used rubber bullets against protesters blocking a Caracas avenue with rubbish and bathtubs in the early morning.

Demonstrators wore the yellow, blue and red colors of Venezuela's flag, held signs denouncing shortages, inflation and violent crime, and chanted: 'This government has fallen!'

In the capital, they were seeking to converge from several points to a major highway, where by late morning several hundred people sat, carrying bags of supplies, playing card games, and shielding themselves from the sun with hats and umbrellas.

In western Tachira, at another of the 'sit-ins' planned for all of Venezuela's 23 states, some played the board-game Ludo in the street, while others stood around them holding flags.

In Caracas, thousands of protesters shut down the capital city's main highway to express their disgust with the increasingly embattled socialist administration of President Nicolas Maduro

A demonstrator throws back a tear gas grenade at the riot police. Thousands of protesters gathered in Caracas under a scorching sun, many dressed in white and waving Venezuelan flags of red, yellow and blue

After deadly clashes with police last week during marches through the city, the opposition this time told supporters to stand in crowds on the main highway into the capital and other towns - prompting riot police to fire tear gas

Tension is high and violence is becoming increasingly commonplace in the oil-rich country, wracked by shortages of food, medicine and basic supplies

One activist covered his face as he was arrested by police amid three weeks of unrest that have left 21 people dead

Civilians were urged by the opposition to the government to flood the streets and block off the roads in order to grind the country to a halt

Thousands of people marched through the streets as the protests reached a violent crescendo after four weeks

Demonstrators wore the yellow, blue and red colors of Venezuela's flag, held signs denouncing shortages, inflation and violent crime, and chanted: 'This government has fallen!'

A protester bangs on a bathtub as opponents to President Nicolas Maduro shut down main roads around the country as the protest movement against the socialist administration is entering its fourth week

Venezuelans erected barricades with garbage and bathtubs during violent anti-government protests which have now been going for a month

Thousands of protesters dressed in white marched into the west of Venezuela's capital on Saturday - an act likened to 'crossing the Berlin Wall' - in reaction to the deaths of 20 people during anti-government riots

Ten people have been killed during near daily clashes between security forces armed with rubber bullets and tear gas and protesters launching rocks and Molotov cocktails

This month's unrest is Venezuela's worst since 2014 when 43 people died in months of mayhem sparked by protests against Maduro, the 54-year-old successor to late leftist leader Hugo Chavez.

This year's protests began when the pro-government Supreme Court assumed the powers of the opposition-controlled congress. The court quickly reversed course, but its widely condemned move still galvanized the opposition.

The government's disqualification from public office of two-time presidential candidate Henrique Capriles, who would be an opposition favorite to replace Maduro, gave further impetus to the demonstrations.

'I'm staying here until 6pm. We're simply warming up because the day will come that we are all coming to the street until this government goes,' said Gladys Avariano, a 62-year-old lawyer, under an umbrella at the Caracas 'sit-in.'

More than 1,400 people have been arrested this month over the protests, with 636 still detained as of Monday, according to local rights group Penal Forum.

A furious demonstrator drags a tree branch along the road, shielding his identity, as he joins the rioting

A demonstrator lights a fire in the middle of a street - the demonstrations were largely peaceful by midday, but clashes gathered pace later in the afternoon

Venezuelan opposition activists organize a sit-in to block the Francisco Fajardo motorway in Caracas

Using any objects they could gather - including rusting bathtubs - activists blocked the road in a bid to make their voices heard

This month's unrest is Venezuela's worst since 2014 when 43 people died in months of mayhem

The government's disqualification from public office of two-time presidential candidate Henrique Capriles, who would be an opposition favorite to replace Maduro, gave further impetus to the demonstrations

Trying to keep the pressure on Maduro, the opposition is seeking new strategies, such as a silent protest held on Saturday and Monday's 'sit-ins'

In the capital, they were seeking to converge from several points to a major highway, where by late morning several hundred people sat, carrying bags of supplies, playing card games, and shielding themselves from the sun with hats and umbrellas

In western Tachira, at another of the 'sit-ins' planned for all of Venezuela's 23 states, some played the board-game Ludo in the street, while others stood around them holding flag

Facing exhortations from around the world to allow Venezuelans to vote, Maduro has called for local state elections - delayed from last year - to be held soon.

But there is no sign the government will allow the next presidential election, slated for late 2018, to be brought forward as the opposition demands.

Given the country's economic crisis, with millions short of food, pollsters say the ruling Socialist Party would fare badly in any vote at the moment.

Trying to keep the pressure on Maduro, the opposition is seeking new strategies, such as a silent protest held on Saturday and Monday's 'sit-ins'.

While some small demonstrations have been held in poorer and traditionally pro-government areas, most poor Venezuelans are more preoccupied with putting food on the table.