Brazil police operation becomes deadliest ever, more than 130 dead
Photo: Shooting in Rio de Janeiro claimed the lives of at least 132 people, including four police officers (Getty Images)
The deadliest police operation against a drug cartel in Brazil's history has claimed at least 132 lives, Reuters reports.
Officials released the figure on October 29 after Rio de Janeiro residents laid out dozens of bodies collected overnight.
According to the city's public defender's office, the death toll more than doubled the number reported on Tuesday, October 28, when authorities said at least 64 people had died, including four police officers.
Rio de Janeiro Governor Cláudio Castro insisted that those killed during the operation were criminals, as most of the shooting took place in forested areas.
He told reporters that he didn't think anyone could be walking in the forest on the day of the conflict.
Castro added that the only real victims were the police officers.
The Rio state government said the operation was the largest in history targeting the Comando Vermelho gang, which controls drug trafficking in several favelas.
On Tuesday, October 28, fierce clashes occurred in Rio de Janeiro between law enforcement and drug cartels. Around 2,500 police officers and special forces stormed the Alemão and Penha favelas near the international airport.
These areas are considered key strongholds of the Comando Vermelho, one of the country’s most powerful drug cartels.
During the confrontation, gunmen opened fire, set vehicles on fire, and built barricades. Local media reports that, for the first time in the country’s history, drug traffickers used combat FPV drones to drop explosives on police officers.
