Protest mars Olympic torch Rio arrival ahead of ceremony

Chaotic scenes marred the arrival of the Olympic torch in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday.

Hundreds of demonstrators angry at the high cost of hosting the Games protested and riot police used tar gas and pepper spray to disperse the crowd.

Images on news websites showed at least one policeman appearing to fire a projectile directly at a protester.

The Olympic torch arrived in Rio de Janeiro by boat after a three-month tour of Brazilian cities.

The mayor of Rio, Eduardo Paes, carried the torch on its first few laps through the city centre.