More than 40 bodies seen in street after Rio’s deadliest police operation

Authorities in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil say at least 64 people, including four police officers, were killed in the raids targeting a gang.

RIO DE JANEIRO -- More than 40 dead bodies were seen on a street in Rio de Janeiro’s Penha favela complex early on Wednesday, according to a Reuters witness, a day after the most lethal police operation in the city’s history targeting a major gang.

Rio de Janeiro state authorities said on Tuesday that at least 64 people, including four police officers, were killed in the raids. An updated death toll is expected later on Wednesday.

The bodies were brought to the street by residents who went looking for their missing relatives after the raid, according to people at the scene.

The police operation happened days before Rio hosts global events related to the United Nations climate summit known as COP30, including the C40 global summit of mayors tackling climate change and British Prince William’s Earthshot Prize.

Police have often conducted large-scale operations against criminal groups ahead of major events in Rio, which hosted the 2016 Olympics, the 2024 G20 summit and the BRICS summit in July.

(Reporting by Janaina Quinet and Rodrigo Viga Gaier; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Chizu Nomiyama)