One victim was visiting Rio de Janeiro's iconic Christ the Redeemer statue. Another hopped into an Uber for a night out in the seaside city.

Both ended up shot dead after GPS navigation apps suddenly diverted them into favelas dominated by drug-trafficking gangs locked in an intense battle for territory.

Most of the millions of tourists who visit Rio every year enjoy its world-famous carnival, beaches, and nightlife without coming close to the gang wars that thrum beneath the surface.

However, recent shootings by jittery men with rifles stationed at the entrances to these urban settlements have cast a fresh spotlight on Rio's security challenges.

In December, an Argentine tourist returning from the Christ statue with his wife and children followed his GPS into a favela. He was shot twice and later died in hospital.

Two weeks later, a Brazilian woman from Sao Paulo was shot in the neck and died after her Uber driver made a wrong turn while taking her to a party.

In mid-January, a dashcam video went viral of another Uber driver begging rifle-toting men for mercy after being diverted into the Cidade Alta favela with his terrified passenger in the........

© International Business Times