RIO DE JANEIRO, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Ten people, nine men and a woman, were killed on Wednesday during a police operation in the northern Brazilian state of Para, officials announced.
The operation took place in the municipality of Pau d'Arco, 860 kms from the state capital of Belem. Police officers were sent to a farm to carry out arrest warrants against men suspected of killing a security guard in late April, Para's secretariat of public security said.
Upon arriving at the property, the police were met with gunfire. They responded and a shoot-out began, in which 10 people were killed.
Afterwards, the police found a great quantity of guns and ammunition in the farm.
The state of Para has seen a wave of violence in recent weeks linked to disputes over land rights, in which at least 17 people have died.
