Rio de Janeiro - Ten people died Thursday in Brazil during a police raid on two slums in the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. The operation led by the civilian police was aimed at a drug gang that worked within the Coreia and Alianza slums, or favela, in the Senador Camara neighbourhood, according to an official report.
Local civilian police boss Gilberto Ribeiro corrected initial reports that 11 people had been killed in a raid carried out by around 150 police officers.
Ribeiro noted that all the dead were criminals linked to the drug boss Mario da Silva Lima, known under the alias "Tola," who controls the drug trade in the area and managed to escape.
During the operation, police arrested seven people and seized large quantities of drugs, weapons and ammunition.
Rio Public Security Secretary Jose Mariano Beltrame stressed that no excesses were committed by police, who are often accused of using excessive force on the favelas. He insisted that officers mainly reacted to an attack by criminals.
