A SCOTS oil worker described as a loyal father has been shot dead in an attempted carjacking in Brazil.

Peter Campsie, 48, originally from Montrose, Angus, was killed by two gunmen in Rio de Janeiro as he was returning home following a business meeting.

The operations manager for Diamond Offshore Drilling International was shot twice as carjackers tried to take his Lexus car on late on Wednesday afternoon.

It is understood he died at the scene of the attack in the Niteroi municipality and the gunmen fled empty-handed.

It is believed another driver tried to help, but was scared off by the attackers.

Campsie lived in the city of Macae, north of Rio, with his wife and 10-year-old daughter. He had worked in Brazil for 16 years.

He is survived by two sons and his mother, brother and sister in Scotland.

In a statement, his family said: "He was a man who loved life and brought so much joy and laughter to those around him.

"Wherever Pete went, the good times followed. A darkness has fallen on us all as we try and make sense of why Pete had to die in the prime of his life.

"He was a loyal friend and father, brother and son who cared deeply about making sure everyone got the best out of their lives.

"Our anchor has been pulled away so cruelly."

The golf fanatic had been building a golf course in Macae with friends - which had been given the full go-ahead just days before his death.

"It is with great sadness, that he will never see the course fully completed. It had been hoped it would be used for the Olympics in 2016," his family added.

"Pete genuinely touched many, many lives and our hearts break for the loss of this great man."

A spokesman at Diamond Offshore Drilling's office in Aberdeen yesterday said he was aware of the reports of the death but could not comment further.

A spokeswoman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: "We were made aware of the death of a British national in Brazil on April 2.

"We stand ready to provide ­consular assistance to the family at this difficult time."

The news of the shooting came as thousands of Brazilian troops were deployed to tackle crime in Rio de Janeiro, ahead of the World Cup football tournament that will get under way on June 12.

Nearly 3000 federal troops have begun occupying one of the city's most dangerous shanty towns, Mare slum complex, in a bid to confront powerful drug gangs.

The "pacification" programme of Rio's notorious shanty towns - also known as favelas - began more than five years ago.

For decades the area, near Rio's international airport, has been controlled by some of the city's most powerful drug gangs. Turf wars between rival groups have often forced the closure of the highway linking the city centre to the airport and other key access roads to Rio, where the World Cup final will be played.

However, there are concerns that other types of crime - such as muggings and carjackings - have increased as gangs have been displaced into other areas of the city and turned to other criminal activities to replace money lost from dealing in illegal drugs.

Violent crimes such as ­carjackings are not restricted to Rio, however.

In December, a prominent ­Canadian businessman on a ­business trip to Sao Paulo - Brazil's largest city - was shot dead in an attempted carjacking. Father-of-four Dean Tiessen was on a highway on the outskirts of the city when the attack took place.

Tiessen and his friend, Paul Carver, were ordered to get out of their rental car by the assailants, who shot the Canadian twice before fleeing the scene.

The World Cup will begin in Sao Paulo and will end in Rio's famous Maracana stadium on July 13.