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The eyewitness

An eyewitness who witnessed the aftermath of an extensive law enforcement action in Rio de Janeiro has described how residents returned with disfigured remains of people who lost their lives.

The victims "kept coming: the count kept increasing", the eyewitness stated. Among them were law enforcement personnel.

One of the bodies was discovered headless - others were "totally disfigured", he explained. Numerous victims displayed evidence of blade trauma.

More than 120 people were fatally injured in the Tuesday operation on a criminal gang - the most lethal operation the municipality has seen.

The eyewitness stated that he initially learned concerning the action early on Tuesday by local people from the Alemão area, who reached out alerting him an armed confrontation was occurring.

The photographer traveled to the Getúlio Vargas hospital, where the victims were being brought.

Itan explained that the police blocked media personnel from entering the affected area, where the security measures were taking place.

"Police officers created a barrier and declared: 'Journalists are not allowed to pass'."

But Itan, who was raised in the community, reported he managed to make his way into the restricted zone, where he remained until dawn.

He explained that evening, local residents started looking the elevated terrain which divides Penha from the neighboring Alemão community for loved ones who were unaccounted for since the police raid.

Community members of the Penha neighbourhood organized the discovered victims in a square - the photographer's images show the response of those present.

"The harsh reality of the situation shook me a lot: the grief of relatives, mothers fainting, women carrying children, weeping, outraged parents," the photographer recalled.

The photographer

The state leader of the state stated that the extensive law enforcement effort deploying about 2,500 law enforcement members was designed to halting an illegal organization referred to as Red Command from growing their influence.

Initially, local officials claimed that sixty individuals and four police officers" had been killed in the raid.

They have since said that early calculations suggests that 117 individuals lost their lives.

Rio's public defender's office, which provides legal assistance to low-income residents, has put the overall count of casualties at 132.

According to researchers, the criminal organization represents the unique criminal entity that recently has been able to expand its territory in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

It is generally regarded one of the two largest gangs in Brazil, together with a rival criminal group, and has a history spanning over five decades.

Based on reporter a specialist, who has long reported on crime in Rio for years, Red Command "functions as a network" with local criminal leaders affiliating with the group and serving as "business partners".

The criminal group focuses mainly on illegal drug trade, while also dealing in guns, valuable minerals, energy resources, alcohol cigarettes.

Based on official reports, criminal affiliates possess significant weaponry and officials reported that during the raid, they came under attack using drone-delivered explosives.

The state leader of Rio state, the government representative, characterized gang affiliates as "narcoterrorists" and described the security forces killed in the raid as courageous individuals.

However, the count of fatalities in the operation has received condemnation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights saying it was "appalled".

In a media appearance the following day, the official defended the police force.

"There was no objective to result in deaths. We aimed to detain everyone safely," he stated.

He further explained that the circumstances worsened due to the alleged criminals fought back: "It was a consequence of the counterattack they executed and the excessive violence from the gang members."

The state leader additionally stated that the victims presented by community members in the area were "altered".

In a post on social media, he asserted that particular individuals had been taken of the camouflage clothing which he claimed they wore "in order to shift blame to security forces".

Felipe Curi representing security forces also said that military attire, vests, and firearms" were taken away from the bodies and showed footage apparently demonstrating a man cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse