Brazil trader shoots self on stock trading floor

A stock exchange trader has shot himself on the trading floor in Brazil.

Sao Paulo's Bovespa stock exchange says the 36-year-old man shot himself in the chest a couple of hours before markets closed in South America's biggest city.

Witnesses said the gunshot briefly sowed panic on the trading floor of Latin America's largest financial exchange.

"We're shocked ... There was a loud sound of a gunshot and everyone scrambled to figure out where it came from," said one trader who asked not to be named.

Silva was given first aid on the scene before being rushed to the hospital, where staff said he arrived in critical condition and was undergoing an operation.

Witnesses said the incident happened in the interest rate futures pit, a raucous circle where on average $21 billion worth of contracts exchange hands every day.

According to colleagues, Mr Silva suffered from depression for which he had recently taken time off work. He was given first aid at the scene before being rushed to a nearby hospital where he was operated on immediately. He remains in a grave state in an intensive care unit.