Rio de Janeiro climbers clean site of Christ the Redeemer statue

A Brazilian cleaning crew has been rappelling in the shadow of one of the world’s most famous sites – Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer statue.

Employed by the municipal waste management company, they are also certified mountain climbers often deployed to clean the city’s famous hillsides, including those settled by working-class communities.

Their work is “important because it preserves nature, prevents fires, clears the litter that accumulates here, and reduces visual pollution, as we get a lot of tourists,” said Paulo Maurício, an engineer overseeing the clean-up around the Christ statue.