RIO DE JANEIRO, October 29. /TASS/. More than 50 civilians may have been killed during clashes between law enforcement officers and drug gangs in northern Rio de Janeiro, eyewitnesses told TASS.

"The bodies of over 50 people who were shot by police were removed from the area by local residents. Family members assure they were innocent," a local resident told the agency.

According to the Brasil247 website, the total death toll, including members of criminal gangs and law enforcement officers, has reached 134.

Earlier reports indicated that Rio de Janeiro state authorities did not coordinate the operation to detain members of drug cartels with the federal government. TASS sources suggested that the state leadership’s independent decision may have been intended to undermine the federal authorities. On October 28, Rio de Janeiro Governor Claudio Castro accused President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of refusing to deploy additional military forces to combat criminals in the city. Meanwhile, Brazilian Minister of Justice and Public Security Ricardo Lewandowski said he had not received any requests from state authorities.

"It is strange that this operation was launched just as far-right approval ratings were falling and support for the president was rising," a source said, noting that only days earlier Lula da Silva had announced his plan to seek re-election as head of state in October 2026. TASS sources added that the Rio de Janeiro governor is a member of Brazil’s Liberal Party and an ally of former President Jair Bolsonaro.

On October 28, Rio de Janeiro police began a new phase of Operation Containment targeting criminal gangs, mainly in the city’s northern districts. The operation involved more than 2,500 officers, resulting in over 80 arrests and more than 50 deaths among the drug mafia.