At least six people died, including a policeman, as a consequence of shootouts between police patrolling a favela (slum) and alleged drug traffickers in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil's Militarized Police said on Friday.
The police reported that the events occurred on Thursday evening in the Providencia neighbourhood near the city's port area in southeastern Brazil, where the Olympic Games will take place between August 5 and 21.
According to the police report, a group of Police officers were patrolling the area when they were attacked by the alleged drug traffickers.
There was a police officer among the deceased while another two were injured and taken to a nearby hospital.
The shootouts also left five criminal suspects dead.
The incidents forced nearby schools to close on Friday, in which around 1,000 pupils have been affected.
The Providencia favela, the oldest one in Rio, frequently sees confrontations between drug traffickers and police.
--IANS
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