VIDEO/PHOTO: Carnival in Rio Opens, Dancers Hot

People in Rio can feel safe because it is the best city in the world for fun during carnival time, the mayor said.

King Momo, the symbol of all licentious of the carnival in Rio de Janeiro, on Friday received symbolic keys to the city from City Mayor Eduardo Paese, which officially started celebrations that will culminate in a parade of samba schools on Monday night. 

People can feel safe in Rio because it is the best city in the world for fun during carnival time, the mayor said at a celebration at the Copacabana Fort.

Reporters asked Paesa about the attacks by armed persons who on Wednesday and Thursday robbed some fifty tourists in the cheaper hotels in the city.

The authorities are expecting some 700,000 foreign and domestic visitors and some 10,000 police will be deployed to the city.

See the photo gallery Carnival in Rio de Janeiro Opens, Dancers Hot

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