Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, June 23, 2026 (Lusa) — At least four people died today during a police operation in the Santa Marta favela, in the southern part of the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro, leaving more than 50 tourists stranded at a viewpoint at the top of the community.
The exchange of gunfire began shortly after 04:00 local time (07:00 in Lisbon), when police officers entered the favela to execute dozens of arrest and search warrants against suspects linked to Comando Vermelho, one of Brazil’s most powerful criminal organisations, according to a statement from the Civil Police.
The authorities identified “members responsible for drug trafficking, the division of roles and the maintenance of armed territorial control in the community” located in the famous Botafogo neighbourhood, the statement said.
The tourists had climbed up to the Dona Marta viewpoint to watch the sunrise and were forced to take cover on the ground whilst bursts of gunfire and explosions could be heard in the vicinity, according to local media.
The footage was captured by a photographer accompanying the group, who shared the video on social media.
“It was like a war, with grenades being thrown. The tourists and guides had to lie on the ground; it was very frightening, desperate. I’m still shaking. It’s a feeling of panic and helplessness, something really very aggressive. There was a lot of gunfire, a lot of gunfire,” said photographer Ari Kaye, quoted by the G1 website.
During the operation, a passenger on a bus travelling along the main access road to the favela was wounded in the leg by a stray bullet.
The viewpoint in the Santa Marta favela is one of Rio de Janeiro’s most visited tourist attractions due to its panoramic views of Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf Mountain and Guanabara Bay.
The police operation is part of Operation Contenção, which aims to halt the territorial expansion of the Comando Vermelho, an organisation founded in Rio de Janeiro’s prisons in the 1970s and which currently has branches in most Brazilian states and in some neighbouring countries.
The first phase of this operation, carried out in late October 2025 in the Penha and Alemão favela complexes, was the deadliest in Rio de Janeiro’s history, with a death toll of 122, including five police officers.
According to figures from the Civil Police, since the start of the offensive, more than 360 people have been arrested, a further 137 have died in clashes, and around 480 firearms have been seized, including 190 automatic rifles, as well as more than 51,000 rounds of ammunition.
A 'favela' is a low-income, informal urban settlement in Brazil. Typically built on hillsides or city peripheries, these vibrant but historically underserved communities are characterised by self-built housing, dense layouts, and tight-knit social networks.
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