Tourists in Rio de Janeiro face death after GPS navigates in gang terrority

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
— 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…