December 29, 2001 Posted: 5:34 AM EST (1034 GMT)

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (CNN) -- Rioters angry about Argentina's worsening economic situation stormed the congress building early Saturday, destroying furniture and setting fire to curtains, while thousands more gathered in peaceful protest before the presidential palace.

Riot police used tear gas, high-pressure hot water and rubber-coated bullets to disperse those at the congress building.

The events began around midnight, when 5,000 people congregated in front of the presidential palace to protest a five-day bank freeze this week that blocked withdrawals from bank accounts.

The peaceful protest, which included pot-banging, also denounced the introduction of the new currency, the Argentino, which is to start circulating in January alongside the peso and the U.S. dollar.

During the protest, a small group of rioters began throwing stones at police. In one instance, a policeman in the nearby Plaza de Mayo was badly wounded after he was surrounded by three or four rioters who beat him and threw stones at his face.

Several other policemen were injured, some critically. It was unclear early Saturday whether any arrests had been made.

The violent protesters broke away from the group at the palace and ran to the congress building. On the way they looted a McDonald's restaurant and several banks.

At the congress building, they broke down the doors and began tearing apart the interior, setting fire to curtains and furniture. Riot police responded and managed to disperse the crowd after several hours.

Argentina has been suffering an economic crisis that sent unemployment close to 20 percent and put the country on the brink of defaulting on $132 billion on its international debt. The crisis led to the collapse of the government of Fernando de la Rua this month.

Interim President Adolfo Rodriguez Saa was appointed Sunday by a joint session of congress. His first action was to declare a moratorium on the debt.

The official parliamentary session finished last month, but lawmakers have been holding special meetings since then to deal with the critical situation in the country. The next parliamentary session was due to begin in January.

-- Journalists Alberto Pando and Ernan Munoz contributed to this report.