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The Rio de Janeiro nationalist defender's bureau connected Wednesday (October 29, 2025) said a full of 132 radical died successful the bloodiest constabulary raid against cause gangs successful the Brazilian city's history, arsenic grieving residents laid retired dozens of bodies successful the street.
"The astir caller update is 132 dead," the Rio authorities nationalist defender's office, which provides ineligible assistance to the poor, told AFP.
There was nary contiguous corroboration of the fig from different sources.
Rio authorities Governor Claudio Castro enactment the decease toll from Tuesday's unit astatine astir 60 but warned that the existent fig was apt higher arsenic much bodies were being to beryllium taken to a morgue, wherever the dormant were being counted.
Four constabulary officers were slain during the military-style operation, which progressive 2,500 officers taking connected Rio's astir almighty transgression organization, the Comando Vermelho, oregon Red Command.
In Penha Complex — 1 of 2 densely populated, working-class neighborhoods targeted successful bluish Rio — residents wept implicit a enactment of astatine slightest 50 corpses aboriginal Wednesday.
A pistillate screamed arsenic she hunched implicit the assemblage of 1 of the victims, who were laid retired successful a line, covered successful make-shift shrouds, immoderate stained with blood.
Two girls, their faces streaked with tears, mildly caressed the look of a dormant man, wrapped successful a expanse with a floral motif, and past hugged each different tightly.
"The authorities came to massacre, it wasn't a [police] operation. They came straight to kill, to instrumentality lives," 1 woman, who did not privation to springiness her name, told AFP, arsenic she touched the look of different victim.
Authorities said that "60 criminals" had been killed successful warring that unfolded during the cause raids successful the Penha Complex and the Alemao Complex, located adjacent Rio's planetary airport.
'Executions'
But aggravated residents accused the constabulary of summary killings.
"There are radical who person been executed, galore of them changeable successful the backmost of the head, changeable successful the back. This cannot beryllium considered nationalist safety," said Raul Santiago, a 36-year-old nonmigratory and activist.
Lawyer Albino Pereira Neto, who represents 3 families that mislaid relatives, told AFP immoderate of the bodies bore "burn marks" and that immoderate of those killed had been tied up.
Some were "murdered successful acold blood," helium said.
The immense fig of constabulary officers who took portion successful the cognition were backed by armored vehicles, helicopters and drones, arsenic the streets of the favelas saw war-like scenes.
The constabulary and suspected pack members traded dense gunfire. Fires erupted astir the neighborhoods.
The authorities accused the suspects of utilizing buses arsenic barricades and of utilizing drones to onslaught the constabulary with explosives.
"This is not mean crime, but narcoterrorism," Rio authorities politician Claudio Castro wrote Tuesday connected X, wherever helium shared a video from the fighting.
Police raids successful Rio's favelas, wherever drugs gangs person a almighty presence, are a communal occurrence. However, Tuesday's cognition stood retired for the standard and lethality.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said it was "horrified" and called for "swift investigations."
A delegation from left-wing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's authorities volition question to Rio connected Wednesday for an exigency gathering with Castro.
Last year, astir 700 radical died during constabulary operations successful Rio, astir 2 a day.
The Human Rights Commission of the Rio authorities legislature volition request "explanations" of however the favela was turned into a "theater of warfare and barbarism," committee caput Dani Monteiro told AFP connected Tuesday.
