RIO DE JANEIRO, Jan. 22 (UPI) -- Shootouts among drug traffickers resulted in 11 deaths Thursday, part of an escalating trend of drug-related violence in the city.
Among those killed was a 14-year-old boy, said local authorities. The fighting for control of select slums throughout the city began late Tuesday night and abated this morning, with authorities finding and identifying many of the bodies.
Police said they found six bodies described as "slaughtered" in one home in the Tres Pontes section of Santa Cruz, a notorious drug haven.
Rio Secretary of Public Security Anthony Garotinho said Thursday an additional 140 law enforcement officers would be deployed to the scenes of the violence to beef up security for the residents there.
Druglords regularly battle for control of Rio's hillside favelas, labyrinth-like poor neighborhoods covering the city's hillsides.
Authorities said since the beginning of the year, rival drug gangs have been battling for control of select favelas.
