Dozens hurt in polls clash in Sierra Leone capital

FREETOWN, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Dozens of people were wounded in street battles between supporters of rival political parties in the Sierra Leonean capital Freetown on Saturday ahead of next weekend's presidential runoff.

Police fired tear gas to end the clashes outside the headquarters of the ruling Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) in central Freetown, which came after several days of electoral violence in the interior. A Reuters reporter saw dozens of wounded taken in a police van to a hospital in the coastal city.