A massive police operation in the favelas of Alemão and Penha in Rio de Janeiro has left at least 132 people dead, officials said on Wednesday, making it the deadliest law enforcement action in the city’s history.
The new figure was released by the public defender’s office, which works to provide legal support to low-income residents, after local families publicly displayed the bodies of those killed in a square to demand accountability.
Initial reports after Tuesday’s operation had placed the death toll at 58, but images and testimony from residents have revealed a far higher number.
Governor Cláudio Castro, responding to the updated count, said forensic work is still ongoing and confirmed that the official number he had at the time was 58, while acknowledging it is “certain to change.”
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva expressed alarm at the scale of the killings, with the justice minister saying he was “astonished” that the federal government had not been briefed prior to the raid.
The United Nations Human Rights office also condemned the incident, calling it “horrifying” and urging a thorough investigation into the use of force by police.
Residents described intense scenes during the raid, with heavy gunfire exchanged between officers and armed men. Buses were set on fire to block roads, and families reported hiding inside homes as chaos unfolded across the steep, narrow streets.
“It looked like a battlefield,” one resident said, describing how gunshots and explosions echoed through the neighbourhoods for hours.
Police said the operation targeted key members of the Red Command gang, a major criminal organization in Rio, and that some gang members used drones to drop explosives on officers.
“This is not ordinary crime, but narco-terrorism,” Governor Castro said. “This is the scale of challenge faced by Rio’s police.”
The operation had been in preparation for two months and was guided by intelligence gathered over time. Among those arrested was a man identified as a senior Red Command drug trafficker.
Four police officers also died in the raid, and the governor publicly praised them for confronting organized crime on what he called “a historic day.”
Journalist Rafael Soares, covering crime in Rio, said the Red Command has been regaining control over areas lost to rival gangs in recent years, prompting an aggressive response from authorities.
He added that the raid reflects Governor Castro’s determination to address crime decisively ahead of next year’s elections.
The raids came just days before Rio is scheduled to host the C40 World Mayors Summit and the Earthshot Prize ceremony. While such police actions are common in Rio, operations resulting in more than 20 fatalities are rare in Brazil, with most occurring in the city.
Victor Santos, Rio’s Minister for Public Security, said 280,000 residents live in the areas affected and described the situation as a decades-long battle against crime exacerbated by institutional inaction.
