At least three people were killed Wednesday in a shootout between police and alleged drug traffickers in slums in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro.

Rio's militarized police said that three men died in the clash in the slums area known as the Complexo do Alemao. The dead included one man who was hit in the head by a stray bullet while watching television inside his home.

The police stressed that the other two men killed were linked to the criminal gang that controls the drug trade in the slums complex. However, the family of one of the dead, a 19-year-old man, denied the allegations.

The operation involving some 40 officers started Wednesday morning. It left two other people injured, including one nurse who was leaving a hospital close to the slums area.

Clashes at the Complexo do Alemao - one of Rio's poorest and most violent neighbourhoods - have intensified in recent weeks, as the Rio de Janeiro state government attempts to push drug gangs out of the area.

In their efforts against alleged criminals in recent months, Rio de Janeiro's police has often been accused of using excessive violence and killing innocent civilians. dpa re vs aw