A British mother was shot in front of her husband and three children after they drove into a Brazilian slum by accident.
The 46-year-old - named in the country as Eloise Dixon - was hit twice in the stomach when a gang fired at their vehicle near Rio de Janeiro.
Police say they took a wrong turn after a language mix-up, having asked for directions to a place where they could buy water.
Mrs Dixon was today in hospital having undergone emergency surgery. She was said to be in a “stable” condition.
The two men who attacked their car are still on the run.
She was on holiday with husband and three young children in the resort of Angra dos Reis, near Rio.
Police chief Bruno Gilaberte said the family had been on the main road from Rio to Santos yesterday afternoon and ended up in a favela called Agua Santa - Holy Water in Portuguese.
He said: “They mistook the information they were given about where they could find a place to buy water.
“Because of the language difficulties, there was some confusion. They ended up going to the Agua Santa neighbourhood where they were targeted by criminals.
“They were shot at after failing to understand the order they were given to leave the area.”
Agua Santa is home to drugs traffickers belonging to a Rio de Janeiro-based criminal organisation called Terceiro Comando Puro.
They split from the Terceiro Comando gang in 2002 following a bloody prison massacre.
Terceiro Comando Puro cartel, whose members are thought to be behind the gun attack, are regarded as the second most important criminal organisation in Rio de Janeiro.
The town of Angra dos Reis is just over 50 miles from the famous state capital, Rio.
It is surrounded by 365 islands and over 2,000 beaches.
The area is a popular getaway for Rio residents.
In the past Angra dos Reis was one of the most important ports on the coast between the states of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
British holidaymakers are warned to be vigilant when they travel to Rio de Janeiro and other parts of Brazil due to “high levels” of violent crime, including carjackings.
In its latest travel advice the Foreign Office said: “Violence and crime can occur anywhere and often involve firearms or other weapons.”
It warned of high levels of poverty in favelas and cautioned that they are “unpredictably dangerous areas”.
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.”
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