Death trolls of Rio de Janeiro’s raid increase to hundred-nineteen
(MENAFN) A major police operation targeting a drug trafficking gang in Rio de Janeiro’s favelas left at least 119 people dead, authorities confirmed Wednesday. The fatalities included 115 suspected gang members and four police officers, a figure significantly higher than earlier reports, which had cited 60 suspect deaths. The raid, conducted in the Penha and Complexo do Alemão neighborhoods, involved 2,500 police and military personnel.
Felipe Curi, Rio’s state police secretary, explained that additional bodies were discovered in a wooded area where suspects had been wearing camouflage while engaging security forces. He noted that residents had removed clothing and equipment from some bodies. “These individuals were in the woods, equipped with camouflage clothing, vests and weapons. Now, many of them were found in their underwear or shorts, without any gear, as if they had gone through a portal and changed clothes,” Curi said. The state public defender’s office put the death toll at 132.
Victor Santos, head of Rio’s state security, acknowledged the operation’s extreme lethality, saying it was “expected but not desired.” The raid aimed to curb the territorial expansion of the Comando Vermelho criminal group, which resisted with heavy gunfire and grenades launched from drones. Security forces, moving in 32 armored vehicles, entered the areas in the early hours.
The scale of the operation surprised federal officials, with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Justice Minister Ricardo Lewandowski expressing shock at the deaths and the fact that the federal government had not been informed in advance. UN Secretary-General António Guterres also voiced concern, urging authorities to ensure that police operations comply with international human rights standards and to conduct a prompt investigation.
Rio Governor Claudio Castro insisted that those killed were criminals and said the clashes occurred mostly in wooded areas with minimal civilian presence. “I don’t think anyone would be walking in the forest on the day of the conflict,” he told reporters. “The only true victims were the police officers.”
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