Olympic city plunged into 'bloody chaos'
Source: Agencies |
October 19, 2009, Monday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
BRAZILIAN officials are insisting security won't be a problem for the 2016 Olympics despite drug-gang violence that plunged Rio de Janeiro into a day of bloody chaos just two weeks after it was picked to host the games.
An hours-long gun battle between rival gangs in one of the city's slums killed at least 12 people, injured six and saw a police helicopter shot down and eight buses set on fire on Saturday.
Police said yesterday they killed two other suspected drug traffickers in overnight clashes near the Morro dos Macacos ("Monkey Hill") slum where the gangs fought for territory a day earlier, but otherwise the area was largely peaceful.
Two officers died and four were injured on Saturday when bullets from the gang battle ripped into their helicopter hovering overhead, forcing it into a fiery crash landing on a soccer field. Officials said they did not know if the gangs targeted the helicopter or it was hit by stray bullets. Gunfire on the ground killed 10 suspected gunmen and wounded two bystanders.
Authorities said the violence would only toughen their resolve to improve security ahead of the Olympics and before 2014, when Brazil will host the World Cup soccer tournament with key games in Rio, the country's second-biggest city.
Rio state Governor Sergio Cabral grimly told reporters on Saturday that the city's security challenges can't be cured "by magic in the short term." But he said that money is being poured into programs to reduce crime and that authorities are prepared to mount an overwhelming security presence at the sporting events to ensure safety.
"We told the International Olympic Committee that this won't be an easy thing, and they know that," Cabral said. "We can put 40,000 people on the streets - federal, state and municipal police - and pull off the event."
Saturday's fighting raged about 8 kilometers from one of the zones where Rio's Olympics will be held.
The city was chosen over Chicago, Madrid and Tokyo to host the games. Rio alone among the bid cities was highlighted for questions about security ahead of the vote.
An hours-long gun battle between rival gangs in one of the city's slums killed at least 12 people, injured six and saw a police helicopter shot down and eight buses set on fire on Saturday.
Police said yesterday they killed two other suspected drug traffickers in overnight clashes near the Morro dos Macacos ("Monkey Hill") slum where the gangs fought for territory a day earlier, but otherwise the area was largely peaceful.
Two officers died and four were injured on Saturday when bullets from the gang battle ripped into their helicopter hovering overhead, forcing it into a fiery crash landing on a soccer field. Officials said they did not know if the gangs targeted the helicopter or it was hit by stray bullets. Gunfire on the ground killed 10 suspected gunmen and wounded two bystanders.
Authorities said the violence would only toughen their resolve to improve security ahead of the Olympics and before 2014, when Brazil will host the World Cup soccer tournament with key games in Rio, the country's second-biggest city.
Rio state Governor Sergio Cabral grimly told reporters on Saturday that the city's security challenges can't be cured "by magic in the short term." But he said that money is being poured into programs to reduce crime and that authorities are prepared to mount an overwhelming security presence at the sporting events to ensure safety.
"We told the International Olympic Committee that this won't be an easy thing, and they know that," Cabral said. "We can put 40,000 people on the streets - federal, state and municipal police - and pull off the event."
Saturday's fighting raged about 8 kilometers from one of the zones where Rio's Olympics will be held.
The city was chosen over Chicago, Madrid and Tokyo to host the games. Rio alone among the bid cities was highlighted for questions about security ahead of the vote.
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