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Gangsters launch Rio attacks
28/12/2006 16:41 - (SA)
Rio De Janeiro - Drug gangs set fire to two interstate buses and opened fire on police stations and posts early on Thursday, killing 15 people, including two policemen, according to local news media.
Police said they could not immediately confirm the number of dead, but that the state security chief would hold a press conference on Thursday morning to discuss the violence.
According to the website of the O Globo newspaper, the attacks began early on Thursday morning on the Washington Luiz highway that links Rio de Janeiro with Sao Paulo, Brazil's largest city.
Gang members reportedly stopped traffic and ordered passengers off two buses before setting them ablaze.
Gangsters attack police stations
According to witnesses, some people were unable to get off the buses in time and at least 10 people were reportedly injured in the fires.
Gang members also attacked police stations and posts, killing two officers, according to O Globo.
Most of the attacks occurred on the city's poor north side.
But at least 12 shots were reported fired on a police post in the upscale Lagoa district.
Rio de Janeiro is one of the most violent cities in the world, with an annual murder rate of around 50 in 100 000 residents.
- AP
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