Around 200 tourists were stranded on the summit of Morro Dois Irmãos — a hilltop popular for its views over Rio de Janeiro's Ipanema Beach — after a police operation against the Comando Vermelho gang (one of Brazil's most powerful criminal organisations) sparked a gunfight in the adjacent Vidigal favela below. Officers from the Public Prosecutor's Office of Bahia and Rio's civil police had moved into the neighbourhood to arrest suspected gang members, blocking the main access trail while shots were exchanged. The group, which included foreign visitors, was held in place for roughly 30 minutes before being escorted safely down, with tourist guides — who had been briefed on the operation in advance — helping to keep the crowd calm throughout.