War Scenes in Rio: 64 Dead in Police Operation Against Drug Traffickers

Scenes resembling a war zone unfolded in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday, resulting in the deaths of at least 64 individuals during the deadliest police operation in the city's history, targeting one of Brazil's drug-trafficking gangs.

Despite the questionable effectiveness of such raids, aggressive police operations are common in Rio. They particularly focus on favelas, impoverished and densely populated neighborhoods often under the control of drug traffickers.

However, the scale and violence of Tuesday's operation caused widespread shock, prompting responses even from the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, who expressed being "horrified" and called for "swift investigations."

The right-wing governor of Rio State, Claudio Castro, announced that "60 criminals" had been "neutralized". Four police officers were also reported killed, according to a source within his office.

Intense gunfire, barricades, and fires marked the operation, which involved 2,500 agents and focused on two groups of favelas in northern Rio: Complexo da Penha and Complexo do Alemão, located near the international airport.

At Getulio Vargas Hospital, where gunfire could be heard nearby, an unending stream of vehicles delivered corpses and gunshot victims—police officers, alleged criminals, and ordinary residents—right to the entrance, as observed by an AFP photographer.