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The eyewitness

An eyewitness who observed the results of an extensive law enforcement action in the metropolitan area has recounted how local people brought back badly injured victims of people who lost their lives.

The casualties "kept piling up: the count kept increasing", the eyewitness stated. The total contained security forces.

One of the bodies was discovered headless - while others appeared "totally disfigured", he said. Numerous victims displayed what he described as blade trauma.

In excess of 120 victims lost their lives in the Tuesday operation targeting an illegal organization - the bloodiest action Rio has experienced.

The eyewitness explained that he was first alerted about the operation Tuesday morning by community members living in Alemão, who sent him messages alerting him there was a shoot-out.

The eyewitness made his way to the healthcare center, where the casualties were arriving.

The photographer stated that security forces blocked media personnel from accessing the affected area, where the operation was under way.

"Law enforcement personnel created a barrier and said: 'The press doesn't get past here'."

But Itan, who was raised in the area, stated he was able to gain access past the security perimeter, where he continued until the next morning.

He explained that evening, local residents began to search the hillside which divides the community of Penha and the adjacent Alemão area for relatives whose whereabouts were unknown following the security action.

Community members from the Penha area proceeded to place the discovered victims in a square - and Itan's photos display the reaction of the gathered crowd.

"The brutality of it all impacted me deeply: the pain of the families, parents losing consciousness, expectant spouses, weeping, furious relatives," the photographer recalled.

The photographer

The state leader of Rio state stated that the large-scale security action with approximately 2,500 law enforcement members was intended to halting a criminal group called Red Command from growing their influence.

At first, local officials claimed that "60 suspects along with four officers" were fatally injured in the operation.

They have since said that their "preliminary" count shows that 117 alleged criminals were fatally injured.

Rio's public defender's office, that gives legal support to disadvantaged individuals, has estimated the total number of casualties at 132.

Per investigative findings, Red Command stands as the sole illegal faction that in the past few years has succeeded to make territorial gains throughout Rio state.

Experts commonly view among the biggest criminal organizations nationally, alongside another major gang, and has a history extending half a century.

Per reporter a specialist, who has long reported on criminal activity in the city for years, Red Command "operates like a franchise" with area gang leaders affiliating with the group and becoming "commercial associates".

The criminal group focuses mainly on illegal drug trade, while also dealing in firearms, precious metals, energy resources, beverages smoking products.

Per law enforcement statements, organization members have substantial firearms and police said that during the raid, they came under attack via weaponized unmanned aircraft.

The state leader of the state, the political leader, characterized Red Command members as "narcoterrorists" and called the four police officers killed in the raid as brave public servants.

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

During a press briefing on Wednesday, the official justified security actions.

"It wasn't our intention to cause fatalities. We intended to arrest them all alive," he stated.

He further explained that the events had escalated due to the alleged criminals resisted aggressively: "It resulted of the counterattack they implemented and the disproportionate use of force by the illegal group."

The state leader also said that the bodies shown by residents in the neighborhood had been "tampered with".

In a post through digital channels, he asserted that particular individuals had been stripped of military-style attire which he claimed they wore "to transfer accusation to security forces".

A police official of Rio's civil police force further reported that tactical gear, protective equipment, and firearms" had been removed from the bodies and presented video apparently demonstrating an individual removing tactical gear {off a corpse