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The eyewitness

A photographer who observed the consequences of a massive law enforcement action in the metropolitan area has recounted how community members brought back badly injured victims of the deceased individuals.

The bodies "kept piling up: the numbers kept rising", the photographer described. Among them were those of police officers.

A particular victim was discovered headless - others were "severely damaged", he reported. Many also had evidence of stab wounds.

Over 120 individuals were killed in the Tuesday operation against a criminal group - the deadliest such raid Rio has experienced.

Bruno Itan reported that residents first notified him to the raid Tuesday morning by local people of the Alemão neighbourhood, who reached out alerting him an armed confrontation was occurring.

The reporter traveled to the Getúlio Vargas hospital, where the bodies were arriving.

The photographer stated that law enforcement prevented journalists from going into the operation zone, where the police action were taking place.

"Police officers formed a line and declared: 'Journalists are not allowed to pass'."

However, the photographer, who was raised in the community, reported he succeeded to make his way into the cordoned-off area, where he remained until dawn.

He explained during the night, community members started looking the mountainous area that borders the community of Penha and the adjacent Alemão area for loved ones who had been missing after the operation.

Community members from the Penha area arranged the recovered bodies in an open area - and Itan's photos display the response of those present.

"The violence of the situation shook me deeply: the grief of relatives, parents losing consciousness, women carrying children, crying, furious relatives," the reporter recounted.

The eyewitness

The state leader of the region stated that the massive police operation deploying about 2,500 officers was intended to halting a criminal group referred to as the criminal faction from expanding its territory.

Initially, state authorities maintained that sixty alleged criminals plus four law enforcement personnel" were fatally injured in the raid.

They have since said that their "preliminary" count suggests that 117 "suspects" were fatally injured.

Rio's public defender's office, that gives legal support to the poor, has estimated the overall count of fatalities at 132.

Based on expert analysis, Red Command is the only criminal group that recently has managed to increase its control throughout Rio state.

Experts commonly view among the biggest criminal organizations nationally, in company with another major gang, featuring a timeline spanning over five decades.

According to reporter an expert, who has been covering illegal operations in Rio over many years, the criminal organization "functions as a network" with neighborhood bosses forming part of the gang and serving as "commercial associates".

The criminal group concentrates largely on drug trafficking, additionally trafficking weapons, gold, petroleum products, liquor cigarettes.

According to the authorities, organization members have substantial firearms and authorities stated that during the raid, they faced assaults via weaponized unmanned aircraft.

The governor of the state, the government representative, characterized gang affiliates as criminal extremists and described the law enforcement personnel fatally injured in the action as "heroes".

However, the count of people killed in the security action has come in for criticism with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights stating they were "horrified".

In a media appearance the next day, Governor Castro justified security actions.

"We did not plan to result in deaths. We aimed to arrest them all alive," he declared.

He further explained that the situation had escalated because the suspects fought back: "It was a consequence of the resistance they implemented and the excessive violence by the illegal group."

The governor further reported that the victims presented by community members in Penha were "altered".

In a post through digital channels, he asserted that particular individuals had been stripped of the camouflage clothing that he stated they possessed "to transfer accusation toward law enforcement".

Felipe Curi of Rio's civil police force further reported that military attire, protective equipment, and arms" were stripped from the victims and showed footage apparently demonstrating a man removing tactical gear {off a corpse