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| 'Eighteen die' in Rio slum battle | 'Eighteen die' in Rio slum battle |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| At least 18 people have been killed in clashes between police and gangsters in a slum in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro, authorities have said. | |
| Guns and grenades were used in the fighting, with armoured vehicles and helicopters backing police units. | |
| The violence reportedly began when more than 1,000 policemen advanced on the slum stronghold of a drug-dealing gang. | The violence reportedly began when more than 1,000 policemen advanced on the slum stronghold of a drug-dealing gang. |
| Rio de Janeiro officials are trying to make the city safer before it hosts the Pan-American games on 13 July. | Rio de Janeiro officials are trying to make the city safer before it hosts the Pan-American games on 13 July. |
| Some 5,500 athletes and around 800,000 tourists are expected to visit the city for the games. | Some 5,500 athletes and around 800,000 tourists are expected to visit the city for the games. |
| Barricades | |
| "We must retake control of the slums and instil public order," state public safety secretary Jose Mariano Beltrame said. | |
| "The goal is to put an end to the traffickers' arsenals," he said. | |
| All 18 people killed were suspected gang members, a security official told the Associated Press news agency. | |
| The focus of the police operation was northern Rio de Janeiro's Alemao, or German, slum complex, home to some 100,000 people. | |
| Gang members set up barricades and created oil slicks to slow down the police assault. | |
| Several schools in the area were closed during the operation, affecting thousands of pupils. |