The death toll following a police raid in a favela in Rio de Janeiro rose to 29 on Saturday, two days after a shootout between officials and alleged members of a drug gang.
One officer from an anti-drug unit and 28 suspects died after the raid in the Jacarezinho favel, G1 news portal reported, citing the police, according to Deutsche press agency (dpa).
All of the suspects were involved in drug deals, police secretary Allan Turnowski said at the funeral of the slain officer.
Three of the suspects had been charged with drug trafficking by the prosecutor’s office and were wanted by police after investigations indicated they were involved in organized crime, G1 reported.
The raid was the bloodiest-ever in Rio de Janeiro, according to G1, based on data from UFF state university and Fogo Cruzado, an app that collects data on gun violence.
