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The eyewitness

A photographer who witnessed the aftermath of a large-scale Brazilian police operation in the metropolitan area has reported how residents came back with badly injured victims of the deceased individuals.

The bodies "kept piling up: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45...", the eyewitness described. They included those of police officers.

A particular victim had been decapitated - while others appeared "totally disfigured", he said. Numerous victims displayed evidence of blade trauma.

In excess of 120 victims were fatally injured during the security action on a criminal gang - the bloodiest action the municipality has seen.

The eyewitness stated that residents first notified him about the operation Tuesday morning by community members from the Alemão area, who reached out telling him gunfire had erupted.

The eyewitness went to a local medical facility, where the bodies were coming in.

Itan explained that security forces blocked media personnel from going into the operation zone, where the police action were taking place.

"Police officers established a perimeter and said: 'The press doesn't get past here'."

Nevertheless, the eyewitness, who grew up in the area, explained he succeeded to make his way into the restricted zone, where he continued through the night.

He reported during the night, community members began to search the hillside that borders the community of Penha and the neighboring Alemão community for relatives who were unaccounted for after the operation.

Local people of the Penha neighbourhood proceeded to place the recovered bodies in a public space - and Itan's photos show the reaction of the gathered crowd.

"The harsh reality of it all affected me deeply: the pain of the families, mothers fainting, expectant spouses, sobbing, angry family members," the photographer recalled.

The eyewitness

The official of the region announced that the massive police operation involving around 2,500 security personnel was aimed at stopping a gang referred to as Comando Vermelho from increasing their control.

At first, the Rio state government stated that sixty alleged criminals along with four officers" lost their lives in the raid.

They have since said that their "preliminary" count shows that 117 individuals lost their lives.

The public legal service, that gives legal support to low-income residents, has put the overall count of people killed as 132.

Per investigative findings, Red Command stands as the sole illegal faction which in recent years has been able to increase its control throughout Rio state.

Experts commonly view as a major illegal faction in the country, in company with First Capital Command, and has a history spanning over five decades.

According to correspondent Rafael Soares, who has long reported on illegal operations in Rio for years, the criminal organization "works as a system" with local criminal leaders affiliating with the group and acting as "commercial associates".

The organization engages primarily in narcotics distribution, additionally trafficking guns, gold, energy resources, beverages cigarettes.

Per law enforcement statements, criminal affiliates have substantial firearms and officials reported that while the action was underway, they came under attack via weaponized unmanned aircraft.

The state leader of the region, the government representative, characterized Red Command members as "narcoterrorists" and described the security forces fatally injured in the action as courageous individuals.

Nevertheless, the total of fatalities during the raid has come in for criticism from UN human rights officials expressing they felt "appalled".

During a press briefing on Wednesday, the official defended the police force.

"It wasn't our intention to kill anyone. We wanted to arrest them all alive," he said.

He continued that the situation worsened as the individuals fought back: "It resulted of the retaliation they implemented and the overwhelming response by the illegal group."

The governor additionally stated that the casualties displayed by locals in the neighborhood had been "tampered with".

Through a message on online platforms, he asserted that certain victims had been taken of military-style attire he said they had been wearing "in order to shift blame toward law enforcement".

Felipe Curi representing security forces additionally stated that tactical gear, body armor, and firearms" were taken away from the casualties and presented video appearing to show an individual stripping military attire {off a corpse