The death toll from a police raid in the favelas of Alemão and Penha in Rio de Janeiro has risen to 132, authorities said, more than double earlier estimates. The public defender’s office released the updated figure after grieving residents laid dozens of bodies in a square on Wednesday.
The operation, which targeted gang strongholds controlled by the Red Command, is the deadliest in Rio de Janeiro’s recent history. Police clashed with armed gangs using explosives and drones, while residents reported “war-like” scenes, including buses set ablaze to create barricades.
Governor Cláudio Castro said forensic work is ongoing, and the official toll he had at the time was 58 dead, acknowledging it was “certain to change.” He defended the operation, stating it was carefully planned over two months and aimed at dismantling organized crime networks.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva expressed shock at the death toll and said the federal government had not been informed ahead of the operation. The United Nations Human Rights office described the raid as “horrifying.”
Photos and reports from residents showed bodies retrieved from hillsides where most of the clashes occurred. Many were laid in a square in Penha to highlight the scale of the operation. Police said the raid resulted in several arrests, including key members of the Red Command, and four officers were also killed.
Police and officials described the violence as extraordinary, with Governor Castro calling the gangs “narco-terrorists” and highlighting the use of drones to drop explosives on officers. Brazilian journalist Rafael Soares noted that the Red Command has recently reclaimed territory from rival gangs, prompting decisive police action ahead of next year’s elections.
The operation comes just days before Rio hosts the C40 World Mayors Summit and the Earthshot Prize award ceremony. Rio’s Public Security Minister, Victor Santos, said the raids affected neighborhoods home to around 280,000 people, underscoring the dense population and challenges facing police in the city’s favelas.