Spanish tourist shot dead by police in Rio, Brazil

Brazilian military police shot and killed a Spanish tourist early Monday in a favela, or slum, in Rio de Janeiro, local media reported.

Maria Esperanza Jimenez Ruiz was reportedly shot after the car she was driving "broke through a police road block" in the Rocinha favela around 10:30 a.m., Agencia Brasil said on its website.

Jimenez was taken to a hospital but died of her injuries.

The incident came on the heels of a gunfight between police and local criminals, which left two officers wounded.

Authorities are investigating the incident. Meanwhile, the Spanish consulate in Rio told the agency it was offering assistance to the victim's family, as well as to two other Spanish tourists who were in the car at the time.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)