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The eyewitness

An eyewitness who witnessed the consequences of an extensive security raid in Rio de Janeiro has recounted how residents returned with disfigured remains of those who had died.

The victims "kept coming: the numbers kept rising", the photographer reported. Among them were those of police officers.

One individual was discovered headless - others were "totally disfigured", he explained. Many also had what he described as blade trauma.

In excess of 120 victims were killed in the Tuesday operation on a criminal gang - the bloodiest action in the city.

The photographer stated that residents first notified him concerning the action early on Tuesday by residents of the Alemão neighbourhood, who reached out alerting him gunfire had erupted.

The photographer traveled to the healthcare center, where the casualties were being brought.

Itan explained that law enforcement stopped members of the press from accessing the operation zone, where the operation were taking place.

"Police officers created a barrier and announced: 'The press doesn't get past here'."

But Itan, who grew up in that neighborhood, stated he managed to gain access past the security perimeter, where he stayed through the night.

He explained that evening, local residents began to search the elevated terrain that separates the Penha neighborhood from the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for relatives who had been missing since the police raid.

Local people living in Penha organized the located casualties in an open area - and Itan's photos reveal the emotions of the gathered crowd.

"The violence of what occurred affected me deeply: the grief of relatives, mothers fainting, pregnant wives, weeping, angry family members," the eyewitness remembered.

Bruno Itan

The official of Rio state announced that the extensive law enforcement effort deploying about 2,500 law enforcement members was designed to stopping a criminal group called the criminal faction from growing their influence.

Originally, local officials stated that sixty individuals plus four law enforcement personnel" lost their lives during the action.

Officials subsequently stated that initial estimates shows that 117 individuals were fatally injured.

The public legal service, which provides legal assistance to the poor, has estimated the final tally of fatalities at 132.

Based on expert analysis, the gang stands as the sole illegal faction that in the past few years has succeeded to make territorial gains in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

It is generally regarded one of the two largest gangs in Brazil, alongside another major gang, featuring a timeline spanning over five decades.

Based on correspondent Rafael Soares, who has long reported on illegal operations in Rio for years, Red Command "functions as a network" with local criminal leaders forming part of the gang and becoming "commercial associates".

The gang focuses mainly on drug trafficking, while also dealing in weapons, valuable minerals, energy resources, alcohol smoking products.

According to the authorities, gang members possess significant weaponry and officials reported that during the raid, they encountered resistance from explosive-laden drones.

The governor of the region, the government representative, labeled organization participants as criminal extremists and referred to the four police officers fatally injured in the action as courageous individuals.

However, the count of people killed during the raid has received condemnation from international human rights authorities stating they were "appalled".

At a news conference the following day, the official defended the police force.

"There was no objective to result in deaths. We aimed to take suspects into custody without harm," he said.

He further explained that the situation had escalated due to the alleged criminals fought back: "It resulted of the counterattack they carried out and the disproportionate use of force by those criminals."

The governor also said that the bodies presented by community members in the area were "altered".

Through a message on online platforms, he claimed that some of them had been removed of the camouflage clothing he said they had been wearing "to redirect responsibility toward law enforcement".

A police official of Rio's civil police force also said that military attire, body armor, and arms" were stripped from the victims and displayed evidence appearing to show an individual removing tactical gear {off a corpse