Eight killed in pre-Carnival Rio violence

Seven suspected drug gang members and a police captain were killed in a shoot-out in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday, police said, a day before the start of Carnival celebrations that draw millions of visitors to the beach-side Brazilian city.

Police officers came under fire during a routine patrol of the Jacarezinho slum in the city's northern zone and called in reinforcements as they fired back at the suspected drug traffickers, a military police spokeswoman said. Six suspects were arrested and one resident was taken to hospital with bullet wounds, the spokeswoman said. (Reuters)