Police in Rio de Janeiro kill 7 suspected drug traffickers

RIO DE JANEIRO – Brazilian officials say seven suspected drug traffickers have been killed in a shootout with police in a Rio de Janeiro slum.

Police say the shootout occurred Saturday morning in Rocinha, the city’s most populous slum and one that is often the site of bloody confrontations between rival gangs and authorities.

The Police Department’s press office says a group of police officers was on a routine patrol in Rocinha when heavily armed gunmen opened fire. In the ensuing shootout, seven suspects were wounded. They later died in a hospital.

Further details were not immediately available.