Residents of Rio de Janeiro protested on Copacabana beach at the weekend after at least 42 people were killed in a week of drug-related violence, including three policemen who died after their helicopter was brought down by gunfire.

The wave of violence began on October 17 when members of the Comando Vermelho, Rio’s biggest drugs gang, invaded a favela – the hilltop shantytowns scattered throughout the city – controlled by a rival gang. At least 10 suspected gang members died that day in the subsequent police crackdown. The body count mounted throughout the week in separate clashes among gangs and police.