Around 200 people were trapped at the top of a popular Rio de Janeiro tourist spot during a police operation in the Vidigal favela of the city. The trail leading to the top of Morro Dois Irmãos, popular for its views over Ipanema Beach, begins east of the neighborhood.
Officers from the Public Prosecutor's Office of Bahia and Rio's Polícia Civil were seeking to arrest alleged members of the Comando Vermelho gang they believed to be hiding in Vidigal. The main access route to the trail was blocked as the officers and suspected gang members exchanged fire, leaving the alarmed tourists stranded.
Video shared on social media shows the group sitting on the ground as the sun rises - a police helicopter flies overhead and shooting can be heard in the distance. Portuguese tourist Matilda Oliveiro was waiting to see the sunrise with her sister when guides asked everyone to sit down. We had waited for sunrise and, suddenly, the guides asked us to sit down and we started hearing gunshots, she told TV Globo.
Fortunately, the situation was under control, and the stranded tourists were able to descend after about 30 minutes.
The guides had been informed about the police operation beforehand, and several tourists reported that the guides reassured them throughout the situation.
Comando Vermelho and similar gangs not only control drug trafficking but also hold monopolies over various services in the areas they dominate.
