Back to the Olympics Newsfeed

Last house in Rio's Olympic Park slum demolished

Related Topics: Slum, Rio de Janeiro, House

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — The last house of a Rio de Janeiro slum near the Olympic park that was once home to 700 families was demolished late Tuesday.

Market vendor Augusto Pereira told the Associated Press that there was too much pressure on him to leave the area and that he needed to carry on with his life somewhere else.

The Vila Autodromo favela was once home to around 700 families. Most left or accepted offers of compensation or resettlement in a nearby housing complex. Favelas are dotted around Rio de Janeiro. Some are small and some house tens of thousands of residents.