RIO DE JANEIRO — Drug gangs set fire to buses and attacked police with machine guns and hand grenades here Thursday, leaving 19 people dead and 21 wounded, the state's top law enforcement officer said.
The fatalities included seven people in one of the six burned buses and three policemen, said Roberto Precioso, head of the public safety department for the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro.
Two other civilians died, including a street vendor caught in the crossfire in the city of Rio de Janeiro's Botafogo district, and seven alleged gang members were killed, Precioso said. Fourteen civilians and seven police officers were injured.
Precioso said gang members used handguns, machine guns and grenades in 12 attacks on police stations and posts around the city.
