Rio de Janeiro - At least 11 people were killed during clashes after police raided the notorious Cidade de Deus slum in Rio de Janeiro's western borough of Jacarepagua, reports said Saturday. Among the dead was a 70-year-old woman, who was shot to death, and two elderly women were among the wounded.
No police officers were wounded or killed during the "routine raid" in the hunt for drugs.
Police said that the slain woman was not involved in narcotics but alleged that all the other fatalities were suspected criminals, including accused gang leader Jorge Ferreira.
Police said that weapons, radios and drugs were seized in the raid as officers sought to "permanently occupy" various crime-plagued slums. Elite special forces from the police participated in the raid.
Human-rights groups and slum dwellers have criticized the increasing frequency of the raids in Rio's favelas. An earlier raid in April left nine people dead.
Opponents say that innocent people, including small children and the elderly, are often caught in the crossfire between police and drug gangs. The criminal syndicates also engage in gunbattles over narcotics trafficking, often leaving death tolls among innocent bystanders in the slums.
