At least 132 killed in Rio police raid, officials say

The police operation targeting a criminal gang in a densely-populated area of Rio is the deadliest in the city.

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This is more than double the figure cited after the police operation in the favelas (poor neighbourhoods) of Alemão and Penha, in the north of Rio de Janeiro, on Tuesday.

The public defender's office, which provides legal assistance to the poor, made the new death toll public after grieving residents lay dozens of bodies in a square early on Wednesday.

The police raid was the deadliest in the city, where authorities have for decades tried to contain the gangs which control many of its poorer neighbourhoods.

Asked about the figure given by the public defender's office, Rio state Governor Cláudio Castro said that forensic work was still under way and that until it had concluded, the official figure which he had been given was of 58 dead, although it was "certain to change".