The government of Brazil's Espirito Santo state said it reached a deal on Friday to end a week-long police strike that has sparked violence and chaos.

The striking police officers have agreed to return to work starting Saturday morning.

Espirito Santo is one of several Brazilian states hit by a budget crisis that is crippling essential public services for millions of citizens.

The police strike over pay during the past week has left a security vacuum. Since the officers walked off their jobs last Saturday, crimes were running rampant across the state, with more than 120 homicides registered in the capital Vitoria alone, and lootings reported by over 300 businesses and shops.

According to Brazil's Globo news website, in these seven days, the state saw more violent deaths than in the whole February of last year.

With no police patrolling the streets, Brazil's federal government deployed 1,700 military troops to keep order and was planning to raise that number to 3,000 this coming weekend.

Source: Xinhua