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News Topical, Digital Desk : Police in Brazil are working to pinpoint a powerful drug gang in a favela a day after a massive operation against drug trafficking left 119 people dead, including four police officers.
Images on social media showed bodies strewn across the streets of a densely populated area of Rio, where police claim a gang was running a drug trade.
What is known so far about the deaths?
According to authorities, the operation, called Operation Containment, was aimed at weakening Rio's oldest and most powerful criminal group, the Comando Vermelho (Red Command), which has expanded rapidly in recent years.
About 2,500 heavily armed officers, equipped with armored vehicles, helicopters and drones, raided two major gang strongholds, the sprawling Alemao and Penha favela complexes, on Tuesday.
How many people are in custody?
The Rio state government reported 119 deaths, while the public prosecutor's office told AFP news agency that 132 people had died. Authorities also said 113 people had been detained, including 10 minors, and 91 rifles had been confiscated.
The operation was Brazil's deadliest to date. In Rio, the second and third deadliest police raids occurred in Jacarezinho and Vila Cruzeiro in 2021 and 2022, killing 28 and 25 people, respectively.
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