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Gunfire near Rio Paralympic archery venue did not affect events: organizers

Xinhua, September 13, 2016 Adjust font size:

Gunfire broke out near the Rio Paralympic archery venue over the weekend, but the violence had no bearing on the ongoing archery event, organizers said on Monday.

It is reported that fierce gunfights erupted Sunday among criminal gangs at Rio's favelas of Turano, Chacrinha and Salgueiro. The incidents took place as the archery event was being held at the Sambadrome, which is located around two kilometers away from these favelas.

A total of 90 military policemen and special police commandos rushed to the scene. The casualty count among the gang members is presently unclear.

Discussing the violence near the Sambodrome over the weekend, Rio organizers spokesman Mario Andrada said the archery event was not affected.

"This was very intense late Saturday and even more intense on Sunday afternoon. The police have intervened, there was a police operation in the area. They closed the Paulo de Frontin road for a while and then they opened it. Despite this burst of violence there was no impact on the archery competition at the Sambodrome," he said.

"The operations of intelligence have been intensified to stop new areas where violence could take place," he added. Endit