Criminals block expressways in Rio de Janeiro after police action left several people dead

Criminals with military weapons blocked three major expressways in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro, Avenida Brasil, Linha Vermelha and Linha Amarela, on Tuesday morning after a police operation in the Mare favela ended with several deaths. One of the three already confirmed deaths from the violent clash was an agent from the BOPE Special Operations Battalion, while another police officer was seriously injured.

The other two people confirmed dead by 1pm local time and 5pm Lisbon time were believed by authorities to be drug dealers, and the possibility of other deaths occurring inside the complex cannot be ruled out. According to police, agents involved in Tuesday’s operation came under fire in various parts of the Mare favela, which is actually a group of 17 favelas in the north of the city where thousands of wealthy people live. but dominated by the power of the weapons of organized crime.

Following clashes and the confirmation of the death of two suspects believed to be security guards for a drug trafficker known as Zequinha, who police say controls drug trafficking in the region, armed groups moved onto three expressways and blocked traffic. On Avenida Brasilia, which connects the city of Rio de Janeiro with neighboring cities and other states of the country, mainly Sao Paulo, criminals crossed the road and set fire to a bus, using it as a barricade.

Police managed to clear traffic on three important roads throughout the morning, but the atmosphere remained very tense given the strong presence of elite military police units and fears that criminals would retaliate again. In total, this Tuesday, at least 39 schools in the Mare Favelas complex were unable to open, affecting tens of thousands of students at various levels, while intense gunfire forced the closure of three emergency departments (emergency departments) in the region, local hospitals providing first aid sick and wounded.