 Protesters set fire to the town hall and to the offices of a French-language newspaper in the capital.The turning point occurred on May 13 when the Republican Security Force (Force Républicaine de Sécurité – FRS) opened fire on the rioters; in the ensuing melee between fifteen and forty persons were killed and about 150 injured.Tsiranana declared a state of national emergency and on May 18 dissolved his government, effectively ending the First Republic.