British mother shot twice in Rio
Woman attacked after family of five take wrong turn looking for bottle of water near coastal resort
British holidaymaker Eloise Dixon is recovering in hospital in Angra dos Reis, Brazil, after being shot twice in the abdomen by bandits who stopped her car containing her three children and her husband when it strayed into a notorious favela in Rio.
A BRITISH holidaymaker in Brazil has been shot by armed bandits after her family took a wrong turn and drove into a notorious slum while searching for somewhere to buy a bottle of water.
Eloise Dixon, 46, from Kent, was said to be in a stable condition in hospital last night after being shot twice in the stomach.
According to Brazilian Police, Mrs Dixon, her husband Max and their three daughters had been driving near the popular coastal resort of Angra dos Reis, when they became lost and wandered into a crime-ridden slum.
At the time they had been looking for a shop where they could buy water and are thought to have misunderstood locals who gave them directions. after driving into the favela, two armed men approached their hire car, telling them to get out before opening fire. Mrs Dixon was hit twice in the abdomen. She was taken to hospital, where she underwent emergency surgery.
Medics said she was lucky as the bullets had not hit any vital organs. She was expected to make a full recovery.
The Dixon family, whose youngest daughter is four, had been staying in Angra dos Reis, 100 miles west of Rio de Janeiro and hired a car to explore the surrounding area.
Mr Dixon, a fireman with London Fire Brigade, was driving at the time, while his wife was in the front passenger seat with their children in the back of the Renault Fluence.
Pictures of the car showed what appeared to a bullet hole in the head-rest of the passenger seat.
Bruno Gilaberte, the local police chief, said it happened after the family asked for directions to buy water and were told instead to head to the area of Agua Santa – which means holy water.
He said: “Because of the difficulty with the language, there was confusion. They ended up going to the Holy Water community, where they were approached by the criminals. Because they did not understand the order to leave, they continued on and were shot.” Police said they believed two gunmen had been responsible but they remained at large last night.
Rodrigo Mucheli, director at Japuiba General Hospital where Mrs Dixon was treated, said: “The bullet travelled through her abdomen but luckily didn’t hit any major arteries or vital organs.”
The family recently moved to Hayes in Bromley, having previously lived in Beckenham, Kent. Neighbours at their former home described the couple as sensible and not the sort who would take unnecessary risks. Neighbour Jef Foulger 61, who used to live opposite the family, said: “I saw that a British couple had been injured and thought oh, poor lady, and then when it became obvious that it was Eloise I was very shocked.
“They were very, very sensible people. He was a firefighter and they didn’t take any risks with their kids at all. So to hear it’s them is doubly shocking.”
A Foreign Office spokesman said: “We are in touch with the local authorities in Angra dos Reis, Brazil, following reports of the shooting of a British national.”
Tourists in Brazil are occasionally attacked when they stray into the
‘Because of the difficulty with the language, they ended up going to Holy Water where they were approached by the criminals’
slums, many of which are controlled by gangs. Advice on the Foreign Office website advises tourists to be wary of straying into favelas.
“All favelas are unpredictably dangerous areas, and remain high risk given the level of violence within them and the severe strain on police resources. Take extra care when using GPS navigation in Brazilian cities, particularly Rio de Janeiro, that the suggested route doesn’t take you into a favela.”
Two years ago, a 70-year-old Brazilian businesswoman, Regina Murmura, was shot and killed after a navigation app called Waze sent her and her husband Francisco into a favela in Rio de Janeiro. Her husband survived.