Orlando José Figuera was seen engulfed in flames. PHOTO: courtesy AFP

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has accused opposition protesters of setting alight a government supporter in Caracas on the 50th day of protests.

Orlando José Figuera suffered burns to 80% of his body after he was engulfed in flames. Officials said he was also stabbed in Saturday’s protests.

Witnesses said the crowd had accused the man of being a thief.

On the same day, an opposition activist was shot dead, bringing the total number killed in recent protests to 48.

The attorney general’s office said gunmen allegedly opened fire on the demonstrators in the western city of Valera.

Edy Alejandro Teran Aguilar died from a gunshot wound to the chest, while two others were wounded.

Protesters demanding President Maduro step down and hold elections took to the streets across the country on Saturday to mark the 50th day of the increasingly violent demonstrations which have overwhelmed the country in recent weeks.

“A person was set on fire, beaten up, stabbed… They nearly lynched him, just because he shouted out that he was a ‘Chavista’,” President Maduro said, referring to the ruling Socialist movement set up by his predecessor Hugo Chavez.

Speaking on his weekly TV programme, Mr Maduro described it as “a hate crime and a crime against humanity”.

It is thought 46 people were injured in the demonstration in eastern Caracas where Mr Figuera, 21, was hurt.

(BBC)