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A teenage boy has died nine months after being hit on the head by a tear gas cannister during Turkey’s anti-government protests.
Berkin Elvan, 15, died at an Istanbul hospital, around 6am CET. He had been in a coma since being wounded while on the way to buy bread in June.
The news sparked protests outside the hospital, with police using tear gas to disperse angry crowds.
His family announced his death with a short message on Twitter.
Halkımıza : Saat 07.00 Berkin Elvan'ı evladımızı kaybettik. Başımız sağolsun.
— Berkin Elvan (@Berkin_Elvan) March 11, 2014
The youngster’s death takes the death toll from the protesters to seven. More than 8,000 were injured. One policeman was also killed.
Shortly after the teenager’s death was announced, hundreds gathered outside the hospital where he had been in a coma for 269 days.
The gathering erupted into violence when dozens of protesters threw stones at a police bus. Officers used tear gas to disperse the crowds, according to a photographer from Agence France Presse.
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