A BLOODY police crackdown on alleged drug traffickers in a Rio de Janeiro slum that left 25 people dead was condemned today by residents, activists and the United Nations.

Two hundred officers and a helicopter carrying a sniper were involved in the operation in Jacarezinho, one of the Brazilian city’s biggest slums, which began early Thursday. The police suffered one fatality.

Residents said that officers had killed suspects who were trying to surrender and entered homes without a warrant.