Extra troops and federal police have been deployed in the north Brazilian town of Humaita after hundreds of armed men set alight several offices belonging to environmental agencies. The authorities say it was carried out by gold prospectors in revenge for a recent raid on an illegal operation.
Buildings, vehicles, furniture and documents were set alight at the local headquarters of Brazil's Environmental Protection Agency (Ibama) and the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation.
It all began days after Brazilian officials seized boats used in a gold operation on the Madeira river, which crosses the town of Humaita.
This is the latest incident in the cat-and-mouse game played by federal agents and thousands of gold miners, known locally as garimpeiros, who operate illegally in Brazil's vast Amazon region.
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