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The eyewitness

An eyewitness who witnessed the aftermath of a massive security raid in the Brazilian city has reported how residents returned with disfigured remains of people who lost their lives.

The casualties "continued arriving: the numbers kept rising", the eyewitness described. They included those of police officers.

One individual was found without a head - others were "completely mutilated", he explained. Many also had what appeared to be knife injuries.

Over 120 individuals were killed during Tuesday's raid targeting an illegal organization - the most lethal operation Rio has experienced.

The photographer stated that residents first notified him concerning the action early on Tuesday by community members from the Alemão area, who contacted him telling him gunfire had erupted.

The reporter traveled to the Getúlio Vargas hospital, where the casualties were being brought.

Itan explained that the police blocked media personnel from accessing the affected area, where the operation was under way.

"Police officers established a perimeter and declared: 'The press are not allowed to pass'."

However, the photographer, who grew up in the community, stated he succeeded to make his way past the security perimeter, where he stayed through the night.

He explained that evening, area inhabitants commenced searching the hillside that borders Penha from the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for loved ones whose whereabouts were unknown after the operation.

Local people living in Penha proceeded to place the discovered victims in a public space - and Itan's photos display the emotions of those present.

"The violence of it all affected me deeply: the pain of loved ones, women collapsing, pregnant wives, crying, furious relatives," the eyewitness remembered.

The photographer

The state leader of the state announced that the extensive law enforcement effort deploying about 2,500 law enforcement members was aimed at preventing a gang called the criminal faction from growing their influence.

Initially, the Rio state government maintained that sixty alleged criminals along with four officers" were fatally injured in the raid.

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

The public legal service, which provides legal assistance to low-income residents, has calculated the overall count of fatalities as 132.

Per investigative findings, the gang is the only criminal group that recently has managed to increase its control in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

It is widely considered as a major illegal faction in Brazil, alongside a rival criminal group, and has a history spanning over five decades.

Based on correspondent Rafael Soares, who has long reported on criminal activity in the city for years, Red Command "operates like a franchise" with local criminal leaders joining the organization and acting as "commercial associates".

The organization engages primarily in narcotics distribution, additionally trafficking firearms, valuable minerals, petroleum products, liquor cigarettes.

Per law enforcement statements, gang members possess significant weaponry and authorities stated that during the raid, they came under attack via weaponized unmanned aircraft.

The governor of the state, Cláudio Castro, described Red Command members as drug terrorists and called the security forces who died during the operation as "heroes".

Nevertheless, the total of people killed during the raid has come in for criticism with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights saying it was "shocked".

During a press briefing the following day, Governor Castro defended the police force.

"We did not plan to cause fatalities. We intended to take suspects into custody without harm," he declared.

He continued that the circumstances intensified due to the alleged criminals fought back: "It occurred of the counterattack they executed and the excessive violence by the illegal group."

The official also said that the victims shown by residents in the neighborhood had been "manipulated".

Via a statement through digital channels, he said that some of them had been stripped of tactical gear he said they had been wearing "to transfer accusation toward law enforcement".

A police official of Rio's civil police force further reported that tactical gear, vests, and firearms" were taken away from the casualties and showed footage seemingly depicting an individual stripping military attire {off a corpse