GUATEMALA CITY — The Guatemalan government declared a state of emergency and banned public gatherings Thursday in four townships east of the capital following clashes between police and anti-mining protesters.

Several days of violent clashes between local residents and police and mine security guards have left one officer dead, six residents wounded by rubber bullets, and police cars burned. Twenty-three police officers were briefly held by protesters who claim the mine threatens local water sources.

The government says that the protesters are armed with guns and explosives.

Interior Minister Mauricio Lopez Bonilla said Thursday that police and soldiers were dispatched to the four towns, but did specify how many. The emergency decree allows the government to temporarily make detentions, conduct searches and question suspects outside the normal legal framework.

The clashes began over the weekend as residents held a series of protests at the Canadian-owned Escobal silver mine, known locally as the San Rafael mine, about 40 miles (70 kilometers) east of Guatemala City.

The mine’s owner, Vancouver, British Columbia-based Tahoe Resources Inc., said protesters armed with machetes “turned hostile” at the gate on Saturday, and security guards fired tear gas and rubber bullets to ensure the security of mine personnel. Six protesters were wounded by rubber bullets.

Other protesters temporarily detained 23 police officers, seizing their firearms before releasing them. Later, in a nearby town, another officer was shot and killed in a confrontation possibly related to the mine clashes.

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