Bodies were placed by neighbors in a square in the Penha neighborhood
Another 40 lifeless bodies were found by residents of favelas in Rio de Janeiro which, the day before, were the scene of the city’s most lethal police operation, according to the press, which followed the process.
According to the Spanish agency Efe, the bodies were placed by neighbors in a square in the Penha neighborhood.
However, the G1 portal counted more than 54 bodies found. According to the same portal, the bodies were found in the Vacaria forest area, in Serra da Misericórdia, where the clashes took place.
The recovery of the bodies, without the help of authorities, is still ongoing, and is being carried out by residents of the Alemão and Penha favela complexes, located in one of the poorest and most violent areas of Rio de Janeiro, in the North of the city.
The official death toll from the operation is 64 dead, including four police officers, and it is not yet clear whether the bodies recovered today are included in that list.
The bodies, all men, were lying on the ground, side by side, in full view of the residents and journalists who arrived at the scene.
The rescue operation, carried out in forested areas close to the favelas, was led mainly by women, who were looking for their companions, brothers or children.
According to the latest official report, released on Tuesday night, the operation caused 64 deaths, including four police officers and resulted in 81 arrests.
The regional government did not provide data on how many bodies were recovered on Tuesday.
The operation mobilized around 2,500 agents and aimed to execute 100 arrest warrants for members of Comando Vermelho, one of the main drug trafficking factions in Brazil.
The alleged drug traffickers responded by blocking several roads in the north of Rio de Janeiro, where the operation took place.
The operations and blockades caused interruptions in the circulation of around a hundred bus lines and the closure of dozens of schools and health centers.
