Up to 2,500 police officers participated in the police raids that were carried out with a number of armored vehicles and helicopters. The operation was aimed at the drug trade in two vulnerable areas in Rio.
Governor Claudio Castro stated at a press conference on Wednesday that at least 56 people had been arrested and 18 "criminals neutralized".
Unfortunately, police officers were also killed, he said, without mentioning any death toll for the police officers.
The total death toll on Tuesday evening was 64 people.
According to a security source, four police officers are among the total number of dead.
The raids took place in Complexo da Penha and Complexo do Alemao, which are located near the international airport in the northern parts of the city.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights writes in a post on X late on Tuesday evening that one is "appalled" by the bloodshed, and continues:
"This deadly operation prolongs the trend of extremely violent consequences of police interventions among marginalized communities in Brazil".
Heavy-handed police operations occur frequently in Rio, Brazil's main tourist destination, especially in the poor and densely populated favelas, which are often controlled by criminal groups.
