Wed. 29.10.2025-11:49

A volunteer doctor searches for the wounded in Rio de Janeiro's favelas, but finds only dead bodies:"Nothing compares to this."

Maria Sampaio, a volunteer doctor from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, arrived at the Penha favela around 9 a.m. to treat the wounded. However, upon arriving, she realized there was nothing more she could do.

"There's nothing to be done here. I thought I would find injured people who needed medical attention, but there are only dead bodies, all in an advanced state of decomposition," the doctor stated with a tone of resignation.

According to her, as soon as she arrived in Penha she saw a row of bodies lying in the street. Shocked by the situation, she decided to go into the woods with the neighbors to try to remove other corpses.

"We went up, I managed to help remove one body, but I'm sure there are many more. I've been working as a doctor for three years, I've seen many difficult things, but nothing compares to this," Sampaio said, according to the São Paulo newspaper Folha.