Rio de Janeiro,Brazil — A massive police operation against drug traffickers in a Brazilian favela Thursday left 25 people dead, turning the impoverished Rio de Janeiro neighborhood into a battlefield and drawing condemnation from rights groups.
Media reports said a policeman was among those killed in the early morning raid on Jacarezinho, on Rio’s north side, where residents awoke to explosions, heavy gunfire, and helicopters overhead.
Activists and media reports, citing the police, put the total death toll at 25 — which, if confirmed, would be the deadliest police operation in the history of Rio de Janeiro state, rights groups said.
Police identified the other 24 dead as “su…
Keep on reading: 25 killed in police raid on Rio slum