Human Body Parts Wash Up Next To Rio’s Olympic Beach Volleyball Venue

Human Body Parts Wash Up Next To Rio’s Olympic Beach Volleyball Venue

Amid the killing of its own Olympic mascot, the dysfunctional clean up of its polluted waters, the shutdown of its doping lab, the declaration of a financial emergency, the presence of the Zika virus and various other calamities, Rio’s Olympic ambitions are a disaster. And the latest news out of the city is just as bad: On Wednesday, a collection of body parts was found washed up next to the Games’ beach volleyball venue.

Image: Getty

According to Reuters, a local street vendor made the grisly discovery at Copacabana Beach and told a local newspaper. CNN reports that police found “a dismembered foot and another body part still unidentified”, and said that the victim may have been a woman or a young person. The circumstances surrounding the victim’s death are still unclear.

The discovery comes on the heels of a series of violent incidents in and around the city. A lack of money — Brazil recently lent the state of Rio de Janeiro $US850 million ($1.1 billion) in emergency funds — has also led to fears that officials are wholly unequipped to deal with the public safety strain that comes along with hosting the Olympics. Police forces have even reportedly taken to begging for pens and toilet paper in the absence of proper funding.

“How are people going to feel protected in a city without security,” Francisco Dornelles, the state’s vice governor, told Rio’s O Globo newspaper. “We can have a great Olympics, but if some steps aren’t taken, it can be a big failure.”

Just this week, tourists and visitors were greeted with signs that said “Welcome to Hell” — held up by emergency responders — when they arrived at the city’s airport.

[Reuters]


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