Ammon News - RIO DE JANEIRO (Associated Press) - A Brazilian official says the mob scene witnessed as Pope Francis arrived in Rio de Janeiro took place because his driver made a wrong turn.

That’s what Rio de Janeiro city Transportation Secretary Carlos Osorio tells the Globo TV network.

He says that the Fiat that Francis was riding in from the airport to the city center inadvertently turned into the wrong side of a 12-lane thoroughfare, known as Avenida Presidente Vargas.

Instead of taking the left lanes that were free of traffic, the car turned into the right lanes cluttered with buses and taxis, forcing the pontiff’s car to stop.

Thousands of faithful who lined the streets then rushed the car, reaching into the pope’s open window, many taking photos of him with their phones.