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The eyewitness

An eyewitness who documented the consequences of a large-scale security raid in Rio de Janeiro has reported how community members came back with badly injured victims of people who lost their lives.

The casualties "kept piling up: the numbers kept rising", the eyewitness reported. The total contained security forces.

One of the bodies had been decapitated - while others appeared "totally disfigured", he explained. Several bodies showed evidence of stab wounds.

Over 120 individuals lost their lives during Tuesday's raid against a criminal group - the bloodiest action in the city.

The photographer reported that he initially learned concerning the action early on Tuesday by residents of the Alemão neighbourhood, who reached out alerting him there was a shoot-out.

The photographer made his way to the healthcare center, where the casualties were being brought.

Itan explained that law enforcement blocked media personnel from accessing the affected area, where the police action were occurring.

"Law enforcement personnel created a barrier and declared: 'Media representatives cannot proceed beyond this point'."

Nevertheless, the eyewitness, who was raised in the community, stated he succeeded to gain access past the security perimeter, where he stayed until the next morning.

He reported during the night, community members started looking the elevated terrain that borders the community of Penha and the adjacent Alemão area for loved ones who were unaccounted for after the operation.

Community members of the Penha neighbourhood organized the recovered bodies in an open area - the photographer's images display the response of the gathered crowd.

"The violence of it all affected me deeply: the pain of the families, women collapsing, women carrying children, sobbing, furious relatives," the photographer recalled.

Bruno Itan

The official of Rio state declared that the extensive law enforcement effort involving around 2,500 security personnel was designed to stopping a criminal group referred to as Red Command from expanding its territory.

At first, the Rio state government claimed that sixty alleged criminals along with four officers" were fatally injured during the action.

Officials subsequently stated that their "preliminary" count shows that 117 alleged criminals were fatally injured.

The public legal service, which provides legal assistance to disadvantaged individuals, has estimated the total number of casualties at 132.

Based on expert analysis, the criminal organization is the only criminal group that in the past few years has succeeded to increase its control in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

It is generally regarded as a major illegal faction in Brazil, alongside another major gang, and has a history extending half a century.

According to correspondent a specialist, who has been covering criminal activity in the city for years, the criminal organization "operates like a franchise" with neighborhood bosses affiliating with the group and becoming "commercial associates".

The gang engages primarily in drug trafficking, while also dealing in guns, precious metals, fuel, beverages smoking products.

According to the authorities, organization members are well armed and officials reported that throughout the operation, they encountered resistance using drone-delivered explosives.

The official of the region, the government representative, labeled gang affiliates as criminal extremists and described the law enforcement personnel who died during the operation as brave public servants.

Nevertheless, the total of casualties in the security action has received condemnation from international human rights authorities expressing they felt "horrified".

In a media appearance on Wednesday, the state leader defended the police force.

"We did not plan to result in deaths. We intended to detain everyone safely," he said.

He added that the circumstances intensified due to the alleged criminals fought back: "It resulted of the retaliation they carried out and the excessive violence by those criminals."

The state leader additionally stated that the victims shown by residents in Penha were "altered".

Via a statement through digital channels, he claimed that particular individuals had been stripped of tactical gear which he claimed they wore "to redirect responsibility toward law enforcement".

Felipe Curi of Rio's civil police force further reported that military attire, body armor, and firearms" were taken away from the casualties and showed footage apparently demonstrating a man stripping military attire {off a corpse