The team, which had been safely evacuated following the incident, was in the Chilean capital to participate in the U21 World Karate Championship. For roughly the last week, however, rioters have been clashing with police, demanding equality and improvements in a number of areas, from the subway fare hike which set the protests off to broader issues such as healthcare. 

In a Thursday statement, Luxembourg’s foreign ministry stated that minister Jean Asselborn was aware of the incident, adding: “The consular services of the ministry are in direct contact with the delegation in Santiago as well as with the officials of the Luxembourg Federation of Martial Arts following the riots which broke out in Chile.”

The transfer had been done through coordinated efforts by on-the-ground authorities and Luxembourg authorities, without incident. “The ministry continues to monitor the situation closely,” it added. 

Nevertheless there remain open questions as to why the athletes were placed in the hotel to begin with. As RTL reported, U21 team member Kimberly Nelting said the team had "waited hours" for a pickup following the evacuation, calling the incident "irresponsible".