Brazil police kill seven in Rio slum raid

RIO DE JANEIRO, Sept 3 (Reuters) Brazilian police killed seven suspected drug traffickers in a raid on a Rio de Janeiro slum today in the city's bloodiest clash since June.

Police said they were met with gunfire when they arrived at the Fumace slum to search for weapons and make arrests. The victims were killed in the shoot-out. No policemen were hurt.

Rio police are notorious for rough tactics against drug gangs that control many of the city's shantytowns. In June, just before the start of the Pan American Games in the crime-ridden city, police killed 19 people in the Alemao favela, or slum, in an incident that rights groups condemned as a massacre.

Police killed 687 suspects in the first seven months of the year, about 20 per cent more than a year ago, according to official data.

More than 2,400 homicides were registered in Rio, one of Latin America's most violent cities.

A period of relative calm had followed during the Pan American Games, safeguarded by thousands of additional police and troopers from a paramilitary national security force.

Rio authorities hope the success of that security operation will boost the city's chances of being picked to host the Olympic Games and World Cup.

REUTERS PY KN2333