Rio de Janeiro ¨C Bodies piled up in poor neighborhoods of Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday as police launched their biggest ever raids on the city¡¯s drug traffickers, leaving at least 64 dead in war-like scenes.
As many as 2,500 heavily armed officers, backed by armored vehicles, helicopters and drones took part in the operation targeting Brazil¡¯s main drug-trafficking gang in two poor neighborhoods, or favelas, in northern Rio.
Gunfire rang out in the area near Rio¡¯s international airport, and smoke billowed from several fires on Tuesday afternoon, several hours after the raids started.
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