More than 200 tourists trapped on iconic Rio hilltop after gun battle between police, drug gangs

More than 200 tourists were trapped Monday atop an iconic hill overlooking Rio de Janeiro after a gunfight broke out between police and drug gangs in a nearby favela, authorities and a tour operator said.

Visitors were stranded for about two hours on Morro Dois Irmaos -- or Two Brothers Hill -- while fighting raged on a hillside below them between police and members of Comando Vermelho, one of Brazil’s largest criminal groups.

The hilltop, which overlooks Ipanema and Leblon beaches from its 533-meter (1,750-feet) height, is one of the city’s most famous viewpoints and attracts thousands of visitors each week.

“There were more than 200 people taking the tour this morning. Seventy percent were foreign tourists,” Renan Monteiro, from the tour operator Favela Turismo, told AFP.

Monteiro lamented that news of such gun battles would hurt tourism.

Police said in a statement that when officers arrived at the Vidigal favela, drug traffickers opened fire.

The tourists descended the hill after receiving the green light from the police. The operation resulted in the arrest of three people and no injuries.

Rio received more than 2.1 million international visitors in 2025, a record.