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The eyewitness

A reporter who witnessed the aftermath of a massive law enforcement action in the Brazilian city has recounted how local people came back with badly injured victims of the deceased individuals.

The casualties "kept coming: the numbers kept rising", Bruno Itan reported. Among them were law enforcement personnel.

One individual was found without a head - others were "totally disfigured", he explained. Numerous victims displayed what appeared to be blade trauma.

More than 120 people were killed during Tuesday's raid against a criminal group - the most lethal operation in the city.

Bruno Itan stated that residents first notified him to the raid Tuesday morning by community members of the Alemão neighbourhood, who sent him messages alerting him there was a shoot-out.

The eyewitness went to the healthcare center, where the victims were being brought.

The photographer stated that the police stopped members of the press from going into the affected area, where the operation was under way.

"Police officers created a barrier and announced: 'The press are not allowed to pass'."

However, the photographer, who grew up in the community, explained he succeeded to enter past the security perimeter, where he stayed until the next morning.

He reported that evening, community members started looking the mountainous area that borders Penha from the neighboring Alemão community for family members who were unaccounted for following the security action.

Residents living in Penha proceeded to place the recovered bodies in an open area - the photographer's images reveal the reaction of the people there.

"The harsh reality of what occurred impacted me a lot: the grief of relatives, mothers fainting, pregnant wives, sobbing, outraged parents," the photographer recalled.

Bruno Itan

The state leader of the state declared that the extensive law enforcement effort involving around 2,500 officers was designed to preventing a gang referred to as the criminal faction from growing their influence.

At first, local officials maintained that "60 suspects plus four law enforcement personnel" had been killed in the operation.

Officials subsequently stated that their "preliminary" count suggests that 117 "suspects" have been killed.

Rio's public defender's office, that gives legal support to low-income residents, has put the overall count of people killed to be 132.

Based on expert analysis, the gang represents the unique criminal entity that recently has managed to expand its territory across the region.

It is generally regarded as a major illegal faction in Brazil, together with another major gang, and has a history spanning over five decades.

According to correspondent a specialist, with extensive experience documenting crime in Rio extensively, the criminal organization "functions as a network" with neighborhood bosses affiliating with the group and becoming "business partners".

The criminal group engages primarily in narcotics distribution, additionally trafficking firearms, precious metals, petroleum products, liquor and tobacco.

Based on official reports, criminal affiliates have substantial firearms and authorities stated that during the raid, they came under attack using drone-delivered explosives.

The official of the state, the political leader, labeled Red Command members as criminal extremists and described the four police officers killed in the raid as courageous individuals.

Nevertheless, the total of casualties in the operation has come in for criticism with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights expressing they felt "horrified".

In a media appearance the following day, the official justified security actions.

"There was no objective to kill anyone. We intended to arrest them all alive," he declared.

He continued that the events had escalated because the suspects had retaliated: "It was a consequence of the resistance they implemented and the disproportionate use of force by the illegal group."

The state leader additionally stated that the bodies displayed by locals in the neighborhood were "altered".

Through a message on online platforms, he said that particular individuals had been removed of the camouflage clothing which he claimed they wore "in order to shift blame toward law enforcement".

Felipe Curi of Rio's civil police force further reported that "camouflage clothing, protective equipment, and arms" had been removed from the victims and showed footage seemingly depicting a person stripping military attire {off a corpse