Smoke over Rio de Janeiro: Deadly anti-gang raid leaves 64 dead, including 4 police officers — watch video

At least 64 people, including 4 police officials died on Tuesday in Rio de Janeiro in the most deadly police operation ever, targeting the Comando Vermelho gang days before the city hosts global events related to the United Nations climate summit known as COP30.

Next week Rio hosts the C40 global summit of mayors tackling climate change and Prince William’s Earthshot Prize, which will feature celebrities including pop star Kylie Minogue and four-time Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel, Reuters reported. The programming is part of the run-up to COP30, the United Nations climate summit held in the Amazon city of Belem from November 10 to November 21.

Rio Governor calls raid 'historic day'

The death toll, confirmed by Rio Governor Claudio Castro on Tuesday was more than twice Rio’s most deadly previous police operation.

“We stand firm confronting narcoterrorism,” Castro wrote on social media about the operation, which he said involved 2,500 security personnel across the Alemao and Penha favela complexes, near the city’s international airport. Rio’s favelas are poor, densely populated settlements woven through the city’s hilly oceanside terrain.In a post on X, he shared a video of himself speaking in Brazilian and said, "I continue to closely follow this historic day in the fight against crime in Rio de Janeiro.

I have just made an important decision for our state, which will help us define the next steps in this struggle."

Smoke over Rio de Jenerio

Several videos going viral on social media showing smoke coming out early on Tuesday over the iconic skyline as gangs burnt cars to slow the advance of armoured vehicles while bursts of gunfire rang out.

Police released videos showing suspects using drones armed with grenades against the police. The footage also showed armed men fleeing into a forested area near the operation. Sobbing family members gathered outside of a public hospital attending to those injured. The Rio state govt called Tuesday’s operation the largest ever targeting the Comando Vermelho gang. Castro confirmed 81 arrests as authorities sought to serve 250 arrest and search warrants in an operation targeting alleged drug kingpins and their money laundering operations. However some civil society groups criticised the heavy casualties in a military-style operation.

Carolina Ricardo, executive director at security think tank Sou da Paz, called it a tragedy. “This is a completely failed approach, because it does not actually target the links in the drug production chain,” she said.

UN slams raid; warns of 'extreme lethal consequences'

The UN human rights office said that it was “horrified” by police raids in Rio de Janeiro that left at least 64 people dead, calling for a swift and transparent investigation. The massive operation — involving some 2,500 heavily armed officers — targeted Brazil’s main drug-trafficking gang in two impoverished northern neighborhoods. “We are horrified by the ongoing police operation in Rio’s favelas, reportedly resulting in the deaths of over 60 people, including four police officers,” the UN rights office said in a statement on X.

It warned, "this deadly operation furthers the trend of extreme lethal consequences of police operations in Brazil’s marginalized communities. We remind authorities of their obligations under international human rights law, and urge prompt and effective investigations.”