Favela shootout kills one near Rio Carnival

RIO DE JANEIRO: A shootout early Monday between police and a drug gang killed one person and wounded four others in a favela near Rio's major Sambadrome, amid the riotous Carnival celebrations, officials said.

The gun battle began after an arrest of a drug dealer, according to military police quoted by Globo's G1 news website.

The inner city favela, or slum, was two miles (3.2 km) from the Sambadrome, which saw a capacity crowd Sunday night of some 72,500 spectators enjoying the Rio samba schools compete.

Favela residents are often members of a local samba school and are deeply involved with the performance and preparation of costumes. (AFP)