Brazil: Rio bus hijacking ends with three injured

World

Brazil: Rio bus hijacking ends with three injured

Close

A bus hijacking in downtown Rio ended with three people injured and two people arrested.

10 August,2011 02:26 pm

According to police, some 20 passengers were on the bus when it was first taken. The hijackers then let 10 people go and kept the other 10 on the bus for another hour.The authorities said that three of the hostages were seriously injured in the incident. One woman was shot in the chest and another passenger was shot in the neck. The circumstances surrounding the third injury were unclear. All three were taken to the hospital where their status remains serious.Police officer Colonel Mario Sergio Duarte said the authorities did the best they could in the face of difficult circumstances.They (the hijackers) were heavily armed with grenades and the outcome was good as it could be. We were cautious and used all of our techniques, we had the support of other institutions and we achieved the hoped-for result, but unfortunately some people were hurt, he said.The streets around the bus were closed off as police evaluated the situation. Details on how the hijacking was resolved are sketchy, but gunfire was heard and then police surrounded the bus.Authorities are continuing to investigate the incident and expect to have more details.