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The eyewitness

A photographer who documented the results of an extensive Brazilian police operation in the Brazilian city has recounted how local people brought back disfigured remains of the deceased individuals.

The bodies "continued arriving: the count kept increasing", Bruno Itan stated. They included security forces.

One individual was found without a head - additional victims were "severely damaged", he said. Many also had what appeared to be stab wounds.

Over 120 individuals lost their lives during the security action targeting an illegal organization - the deadliest such raid the municipality has seen.

The photographer stated that residents first notified him concerning the action Tuesday morning by local people of the Alemão neighbourhood, who contacted him telling him an armed confrontation was occurring.

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

Itan explained that the police stopped members of the press from going into the affected area, where the security measures were occurring.

"Law enforcement personnel created a barrier and announced: 'Media representatives are not allowed to pass'."

However, the photographer, who spent his childhood in the community, stated he succeeded to gain access into the cordoned-off area, where he remained until the next morning.

He described that evening, local residents commenced searching the elevated terrain that separates the Penha neighborhood from the neighboring Alemão community for family members whose whereabouts were unknown after the operation.

Community members living in Penha arranged the discovered victims in a public space - and Itan's photos reveal the response of the gathered crowd.

"The violence of what occurred shook me profoundly: the pain of the families, parents losing consciousness, expectant spouses, sobbing, outraged parents," the photographer recalled.

The eyewitness

The governor of the state declared that the massive police operation deploying about 2,500 law enforcement members was intended to halting a criminal group referred to as the criminal faction from growing their influence.

Initially, the Rio state government stated that "60 suspects and four police officers" had been killed in the raid.

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

The legal assistance organization, that offers legal help to low-income residents, has calculated the overall count of people killed to be 132.

According to researchers, the gang represents the unique criminal entity which in recent years has managed to expand its territory throughout Rio state.

It is generally regarded among the biggest criminal organizations in the country, together with another major gang, featuring a timeline dating back more than 50 years.

Per Brazilian journalist a specialist, who has been covering crime in Rio extensively, Red Command "works as a system" with area gang leaders affiliating with the group and becoming "operational allies".

The criminal group engages primarily in illegal drug trade, additionally trafficking guns, valuable minerals, energy resources, liquor smoking products.

According to the authorities, gang members are well armed and authorities stated that during the raid, they faced assaults from explosive-laden drones.

The state leader of Rio state, the government representative, characterized Red Command members as "narcoterrorists" and called the security forces killed in the raid as courageous individuals.

Nevertheless, the total of fatalities during the raid has received condemnation from UN human rights officials stating they were "appalled".

At a news conference the next day, Governor Castro supported law enforcement.

"It wasn't our intention to cause fatalities. We aimed to arrest them all alive," he said.

He further explained that the events had escalated due to the alleged criminals fought back: "It was a consequence of the resistance they implemented and the overwhelming response by those criminals."

The state leader further reported that the casualties presented by community members in the area had been "tampered with".

In a post on online platforms, he asserted that some of them had been removed of tactical gear he said they had been wearing "in order to shift blame toward law enforcement".

A police official representing security forces additionally stated that military attire, protective equipment, and firearms" had been removed from the bodies and showed footage apparently demonstrating a man cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse