Police raid in Rio de Janeiro favela kills at least 10

Police in Rio de Janeiro have raided the Vila Cruzeiro favela in an operation that prompted a fierce firefight

Police in Rio de Janeiro raided the Vila Cruzeiro favela before dawn Tuesday in an operation that prompted a fierce firefight and state officials said at least 10 people died.

The operation was aimed at locating and arresting criminal leaders, some from other states, police said in a statement.

The statement said agents were fired upon while preparing their incursion, that one resident was shot and killed. It said 11 people were found wounded after the shootout and taken to a nearby state hospital.

Ten deaths were confirmed in the hospital's emergency room and two people are being treated in the trauma wing, according to a statement from the state's health secretariat.

The operation was conducted jointly by the state's military police and federal highway police. Police apprehended 16 vehicles, 13 automatic rifles as well as pistols and grenades, the police statement said.