RIO DE JANEIRO, May 30 -- A truck driver died on Wednesday after being hit in the head with rocks, becoming the first fatal victim of a nationwide truckers' protest against the rising cost of fuel.

According to the Federal Highway Police, the victim, Jose Batistella, 70, was driving by a gas station in his truck when protesters lobbed rocks that shattered the vehicle's window and hit him in the head.

The incident occurred in Vilhena in the northern state of Rondonia, which borders with Bolivia.

The strike, which entered its 10th day on Wednesday, has so far been peaceful, though the conservatives have been urging the government to use military force to dismantle the roadblocks that have disrupted business in Brazil.

There have been two other reported deaths in relation to the strike, in the states of Tocantins and Bahia, but both were caused by heart attacks.