At least 43 people were dead following police raids targeting drug gangs in three Brazilian states, according to local media on Wednesday.
In the most recent operation in Rio de Janeiro, at least 10 people were killed after police claimed to return fire during a shootout in the Complexo da Penha neighbourhood.
Earlier, 14 suspects were killed amid clashes during a five-day police raid in the state of Sao Paulo known as Operation Shield, the BBC re-ported.
Additionally, 19 suspects have died since Friday according to authorities in the state of Bahia in the northeast.
The operation in So Paulo state, which started after a special forces police officer was killed on Thursday in the seaside town of Guarujá, resulted in the arrest of 58 people.
According to local media, police also recovered firearms and 385 kg of drugs. Brazil’s Justice Minister Flavio Dino, denounced the operation, saying it was out of proportion to the crime that was committed.—Agencies
