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The eyewitness

A reporter who observed the aftermath of a massive Brazilian police operation in the Brazilian city has reported how community members brought back disfigured remains of the deceased individuals.

The casualties "continued arriving: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45...", the eyewitness described. The total contained law enforcement personnel.

A particular victim was discovered headless - others were "totally disfigured", he reported. Many also had what he described as blade trauma.

More than 120 people were fatally injured in the Tuesday operation against a criminal group - the bloodiest action Rio has experienced.

The photographer stated that he initially learned about the operation Tuesday morning by residents of the Alemão neighbourhood, who sent him messages alerting him there was a shoot-out.

The photographer made his way to the Getúlio Vargas hospital, where the bodies were coming in.

Itan explained that law enforcement stopped members of the press from entering the operation zone, where the operation was under way.

"Security forces formed a line and announced: 'The press cannot proceed beyond this point'."

But Itan, who grew up in that neighborhood, explained he managed to enter past the security perimeter, where he remained until the next morning.

He explained that Tuesday night, community members commenced searching the elevated terrain which divides the community of Penha and the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for relatives who had been missing since the police raid.

Community members living in Penha arranged the located casualties in an open area - the photographer's images show the reaction of those present.

"The harsh reality of it all shook me a lot: the pain of relatives, women collapsing, pregnant wives, weeping, angry family members," the eyewitness remembered.

Bruno Itan

The governor of the region declared that the large-scale security action with approximately 2,500 officers was intended to stopping a criminal group called Red Command from expanding its territory.

Originally, the Rio state government maintained that sixty alleged criminals along with four officers" lost their lives in the raid.

They have since said that initial estimates suggests that 117 "suspects" lost their lives.

The public legal service, which provides legal assistance to the poor, has estimated the overall count of casualties as 132.

Per investigative findings, the criminal organization stands as the sole illegal faction that in the past few years has succeeded to increase its control in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

It is widely considered among the biggest criminal organizations in Brazil, together with First Capital Command, featuring a timeline dating back more than 50 years.

According to Brazilian journalist an expert, who has been covering criminal activity in the city over many years, the criminal organization "functions as a network" with neighborhood bosses affiliating with the group and becoming "commercial associates".

The organization engages primarily in illegal drug trade, but also smuggles firearms, precious metals, petroleum products, liquor cigarettes.

Based on official reports, organization members have substantial firearms and police said that while the action was underway, they faced assaults via weaponized unmanned aircraft.

The official of the state, the political leader, described organization participants as criminal extremists and called the law enforcement personnel who died during the operation as brave public servants.

Nevertheless, the total of people killed in the operation has faced scrutiny from international human rights authorities stating they were "shocked".

During a press briefing on Wednesday, the state leader supported law enforcement.

"We did not plan to result in deaths. We wanted to take suspects into custody without harm," he declared.

He continued that the events had escalated as the individuals fought back: "It occurred of the counterattack they carried out and the overwhelming response from the gang members."

The state leader also said that the victims shown by residents in Penha had been "manipulated".

Via a statement on online platforms, he asserted that some of them had been taken of military-style attire he said they had been wearing "to transfer accusation to security forces".

A police official representing security forces additionally stated that tactical gear, vests, and weapons" had been removed from the bodies and displayed evidence seemingly depicting a man cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse