Bloody shoot-outs in Brazil

At least 19 alleged drug gang members have been killed in shoot-outs with police in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro.The violence took place in the Mineira shantytown near the city's downtown district.It began when rival gangs from the Mangueira and Alemao shantytowns tried to seize control of lucrative drug dealing spots, police said.Police surrounded the shantytown in an attempt to quell the fighting as the shoot-out spilled over into the Catumbi neighbourhood and shut down a major tunnel connecting Rio's south and north sides.Families with small children ran for cover as officers fired assault rifles into the hills.Two bystanders were injured by stray bullets. One of the victims was shot in the head while sitting in a bus which was stuck in traffic caused by the fighting.The shooting also spilled into a neighbouring cemetery, where four burials had to be cancelled.Rio de Janeiro is Brazil's most violent city with an annual homicide rate of 50 per 100,000 people.© Independent Television News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.

ITN | April 18, 2007

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