25 November 2010 Last updated at 18:08

In pictures: Rio violence

Brazilian Navy soldiers prepare to enter Vila Cruzeiro slum on an armoured personnel carrier, 25 November 2010, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Armoured vehicles and marines have been brought in to Vila Cruzeiro slum in Rio de Janeiro to help stem a wave of violence that has killed at least 23 people in recent days.

Police officers aim their weapons during riots at Jacarezinho slum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Violent clashes broke out in the city on Sunday as police officers tried to claim back control of several areas of the city run by drug gangs.

A policeman is seen during a shootout with traffickers during an operation at Vila Cruzeiro slum in Rio de Janeiro, 25 November 2010

Police say many gang members took refuge in Vila Cruzeiro after they were forced out of other city slums. TV networks are reported to be covering the event live, broadcasting from helicopters hovering above the city.

A policeman checks suspects during an operation at Jacarezinho slum in Rio de Janeiro.

Over the past few days, some 150 people have been arrested during sweeps with 17,500 officers.

Residents watch a bus burned by alleged drug traffickers at the Santa Cruz slum in Rio de Janeiro.

Most of the violence was concentrated in the city's poor northern and western neighbourhoods, like the Santa Cruz slum, where gangs created road-blocks by setting vehicles alight.

Police officers ride on a vehicle after a police operation at the Vila Cruzeiro slum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The police force has been bolstered to try and wrest back control of several of the city's slum areas.

A bullet hole in the window of a small police station in the Del Castilho neighbourhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,

Two officers are reported to have suffered minor wounds in the clashes, with gang members targeting police stations like this one in the Del Castilho neighbourhood.

Residents take cover during the operation.

Residents took cover as shots were fired. Several of those killed and injured, locals claim, were bystanders, including a 14-year-old girl, Rosangela Barbosa, who was hit by a stray bullet.

People walk past a vehicle set on fire during riots at Jacarezinho slum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The escalating violence casts more doubt on the city's ability to host the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympic Games two years later.

Latin America & Caribbean

In pictures: Rio violence

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