Violence in Rio ahead of World Cup
Violent protests have broken out in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro just two months before the country hosts the football World Cup.
Main streets through the tourist area of Copacabana have been closed as angry demonstrators set barricades of tyres on fire following the death of a young man allegedly beaten by police.
One other man was shot dead during the violence on Tuesday night, said AFP news agency, and a 12-year-old boy was reportedly wounded.
Witnesses said cars were set ablaze, a police station was attacked and gunfire could be heard from the Pavao-Pavaozinho favela, or slum area.
The protests were sparked by the death of a 26-year-old local man, named as Douglas Rafael da Silva. The professional dancer was reportedly found dead inside a school earlier on Tuesday.
According to his family, his body was covered in wounds and they accused local police of beating him to death after mistaking him for a member of a local drugs gang.
The circumstances surrounding his death are under investigation, AFP news agency quoted police as saying.
"An on-site report indicates Douglas’s injuries are compatible with a death caused by a fall," the police statement said.
Huge crowds, demanding an explanation for the death, gathered near the entrance to the favela, which is just a few streets away from Rio’s famous beaches and tourist hot-spots, said the BBC.
The city authorities have been trying to drive heavily-armed drugs gangs away from the communities and to restore policy authority ahead of the World Cup in June and July.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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