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Rio Olympic media bus hit by bullets

Three people suffered minor injuries as windows were hit by projectiles when the bus passed Rio’s Curicica district, neighbouring the notorious City of God favela, late on Tuesday.

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Correa said police would step up patrols along roads linking the Olympic Park with the Deodoro stadium where basketball events are being held.

There were suggestions the coach had been shot at, but these have been dismissed by security chief Luiz Fernando Correa after an initial forensic sweep by police showed the bus had been hit by rocks.

Britain’s Press Association on Wednesday quoted Lee Michaelson, who was on the bus Tuesday, as saying that she instinctively hit the floor when she heard the sound of gunfire and “hollered to the others”.

According to Reuters, passengers on the bus described hearing two shots strike the bus, which was carrying media members to the main Olympic park in Rio’s westen suburbs from the basketball facility, located in the northern venue cluster of Deodoro.

“We threw ourselves to the floor and two kilometers later the police came and escorted us to the main press center with the broken windows”, Sainz said.

“Immediately, he looked in the rear-view mirror and noticed that the passengers were lying on the ground”.

A Belarus journalist suffered a cut hand in the incident, a fellow reporter who was on the bus told AFP. He saw a police vehicle and stopped.

The Press Association understands two windows were smashed as a result.

Concern has mounted over a series of robberies during the Rio Games.

Michaelson said she has no doubt that the bus was shot at.

International Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams said of the incident: “We are taking it very seriously”. Police searched the bus and said it was stones, not bullets, to break the window.

“Come on now. Two points of impact, pop pop, that quickly, the bus moving a good 45-50mph or better down a highway, to hit it at exactly shoulder to head level in the windows?” added Michaelson.

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On Saturday a bullet pierced the roof of the media tent at the Olympic Equestrian Centre – which is located near a military compound.

Rio Olympics 2016: Media bus left with smashed windows after being shot at while travelling between venues - The Sun