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The eyewitness

An eyewitness who documented the consequences of an extensive Brazilian police operation in the Brazilian city has reported how residents brought back mutilated bodies of the deceased individuals.

The casualties "kept piling up: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45...", the photographer reported. They included security forces.

One individual was found without a head - additional victims were "severely damaged", he reported. Numerous victims displayed what appeared to be blade trauma.

In excess of 120 victims were killed in the Tuesday operation on a criminal gang - the deadliest such raid the municipality has seen.

The eyewitness stated that he was first alerted to the raid early on Tuesday by local people of the Alemão neighbourhood, who sent him messages telling him there was a shoot-out.

The eyewitness made his way to the Getúlio Vargas hospital, where the casualties were coming in.

The photographer stated that security forces stopped members of the press from entering the operation zone, where the operation were taking place.

"Law enforcement personnel created a barrier and declared: 'The press are not allowed to pass'."

However, the photographer, who grew up in that neighborhood, reported he managed to make his way into the restricted zone, where he stayed until the next morning.

He explained during the night, community members started looking the elevated terrain which divides Penha from the adjacent Alemão area for loved ones who were unaccounted for following the security action.

Local people living in Penha arranged the located casualties in an open area - the photographer's images display the response of the gathered crowd.

"The brutality of it all impacted me profoundly: the pain of loved ones, mothers fainting, women carrying children, crying, outraged parents," the reporter recounted.

Bruno Itan

The governor of the state announced that the massive police operation with approximately 2,500 officers was aimed at preventing an illegal organization referred to as Red Command from increasing their control.

At first, local officials claimed that "60 suspects and four police officers" were fatally injured in the operation.

They have since said that their "preliminary" count indicates that 117 "suspects" lost their lives.

The public legal service, which provides legal assistance to the poor, has put the total number of casualties at 132.

According to researchers, the criminal organization is the only criminal group that in the past few years has managed to increase its control throughout Rio state.

Experts commonly view one of the two largest gangs in the country, together with First Capital Command, and has a history extending half a century.

According to Brazilian journalist Rafael Soares, who has been covering illegal operations in Rio for years, Red Command "functions as a network" with local criminal leaders forming part of the gang and acting as "commercial associates".

The organization focuses mainly on drug trafficking, additionally trafficking guns, gold, petroleum products, alcohol smoking products.

Per law enforcement statements, criminal affiliates possess significant weaponry and police said that while the action was underway, they encountered resistance using drone-delivered explosives.

The governor of the region, Cláudio Castro, labeled organization participants as drug terrorists and described the law enforcement personnel fatally injured in the action as brave public servants.

But the number of people killed during the raid has come in for criticism from UN human rights officials stating they were "shocked".

At a news conference the following day, the official justified security actions.

"It wasn't our intention to result in deaths. We wanted to detain everyone safely," he said.

He continued that the situation intensified as the individuals had retaliated: "It was a consequence of the resistance they implemented and the disproportionate use of force by the illegal group."

The governor also said that the casualties presented by community members in Penha had been "tampered with".

Through a message on online platforms, he claimed that some of them had been stripped of the camouflage clothing which he claimed they wore "in order to shift blame to security forces".

Felipe Curi from the police department further reported that tactical gear, vests, and weapons" were taken away from the victims and presented video seemingly depicting an individual stripping military attire {off a corpse