Five people were killed during a search operation conducted by Ibama and the Federal Highway Police (PRF) in an illegal mining area in the Sarari indigenous lands, in the municipality of Pontes y Lacerda (Mato Grosso), in the early hours of Saturday (9/28).
According to a statement by the Ministry of Justice, the mining groups attacked the police team, which responded by shooting five suspects. They died. The names of the dead were not revealed. No police officers were injured.
In the same operation, the Popular Front forces seized six weapons: a rifle, a machine gun, a 12-gauge hunting rifle, two pistols, and a revolver (featured image). Mining equipment was also destroyed.
This search operation took place on the same indigenous land where four were killed last Monday (9/23), during a confrontation between two criminal groups competing for mining in the area.
The Sarari indigenous territory covers three municipalities and is populated by the Nambikara ethnic group. The area is located near the border with Bolivia and is 444 kilometers from the capital, Cuiabá (MT).