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The eyewitness

An eyewitness who observed the aftermath of a massive law enforcement action in Rio de Janeiro has described how residents brought back disfigured remains of the deceased individuals.

The victims "kept coming: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45...", the eyewitness reported. The total contained security forces.

A particular victim was discovered headless - additional victims were "severely damaged", he said. Several bodies showed evidence of stab wounds.

Over 120 individuals were fatally injured in the Tuesday operation on a criminal gang - the bloodiest action the municipality has seen.

The eyewitness stated that residents first notified him concerning the action in the early hours by residents living in Alemão, who contacted him alerting him gunfire had erupted.

The eyewitness traveled to a local medical facility, where the casualties were being brought.

Itan explained that law enforcement blocked media personnel from going into the Penha neighborhood, where the operation were taking place.

"Law enforcement personnel formed a line and said: 'Journalists cannot proceed beyond this point'."

Nevertheless, the eyewitness, who spent his childhood in the area, stated he was able to gain access into the restricted zone, where he stayed until the next morning.

He reported during the night, local residents began to search the hillside which divides the Penha neighborhood from the neighboring Alemão community for loved ones whose whereabouts were unknown since the police raid.

Residents from the Penha area arranged the discovered victims in a public space - the photographer's images reveal the reaction of those present.

"The harsh reality of it all affected me deeply: the sorrow of loved ones, parents losing consciousness, pregnant wives, weeping, angry family members," the eyewitness remembered.

The photographer

The state leader of Rio state announced that the massive police operation deploying about 2,500 officers was designed to preventing a criminal group referred to as Red Command from growing their influence.

Originally, state authorities maintained that sixty alleged criminals plus four law enforcement personnel" had been killed in the operation.

Officials subsequently stated that their "preliminary" count shows that 117 alleged criminals lost their lives.

The public legal service, that offers legal help to the poor, has estimated the total number of fatalities as 132.

According to researchers, Red Command stands as the sole illegal faction that recently has succeeded to expand its territory across the region.

It is widely considered as a major illegal faction in the country, in company with First Capital Command, with a background dating back more than 50 years.

Based on reporter Rafael Soares, with extensive experience documenting crime in Rio for years, the criminal organization "operates like a franchise" with local criminal leaders joining the organization and acting as "business partners".

The criminal group concentrates largely on drug trafficking, but also smuggles firearms, gold, petroleum products, alcohol and tobacco.

Per law enforcement statements, gang members possess significant weaponry and officials reported that during the raid, they faced assaults using drone-delivered explosives.

The official of the state, the political leader, described organization participants as criminal extremists and called the security forces killed in the raid as "heroes".

But the number of casualties in the operation has received condemnation from UN human rights officials expressing they felt "shocked".

In a media appearance the following day, the official supported law enforcement.

"It wasn't our intention to kill anyone. We wanted to take suspects into custody without harm," he stated.

He continued that the situation had escalated due to the alleged criminals had retaliated: "It occurred of the resistance they executed and the disproportionate use of force by the illegal group."

The governor further reported that the casualties displayed by locals in Penha were "altered".

In a post through digital channels, he asserted that some of them had been stripped of the camouflage clothing that he stated they possessed "to transfer accusation onto the police".

Felipe Curi of Rio's civil police force further reported that military attire, body armor, and weapons" were taken away from the bodies and presented video appearing to show a person removing tactical gear {off a corpse