Rio de Janeiro experienced its most violent day on record, with at least 64 people reported killed in clashes between over 2,500 law enforcement officers and the Red Command drug traffickers. The unprecedented violence occurred during a police raid targeting favelas near Rio’s international airport, known to be a stronghold of a powerful organized crime group. The operation, the deadliest in Rio’s history, triggered intense gunfights in the Alemão and Penha favelas, home to roughly 300,000 residents. The city’s Governor described the situation as akin to ‘war’.