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The photographer

An eyewitness who witnessed the results of a large-scale law enforcement action in the metropolitan area has reported how residents came back with badly injured victims of the deceased individuals.

The bodies "kept piling up: the count kept increasing", the eyewitness stated. Among them were security forces.

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

Over 120 individuals were killed in the Tuesday operation against a criminal group - the bloodiest action in the city.

The photographer reported that he initially learned to the raid in the early hours by local people of the Alemão neighbourhood, who contacted him alerting him there was a shoot-out.

The photographer traveled to the Getúlio Vargas hospital, where the bodies were coming in.

Itan explained that the police prevented journalists from accessing the affected area, where the security measures were occurring.

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

Nevertheless, the eyewitness, who grew up in the area, stated he was able to make his way into the restricted zone, where he remained until dawn.

He reported during the night, community members began to search the hillside that borders Penha from the neighboring Alemão community for family members whose whereabouts were unknown following the security action.

Community members living in Penha arranged the recovered bodies in an open area - the photographer's images reveal the response of the gathered crowd.

"The violence of the situation affected me profoundly: the sorrow of the families, parents losing consciousness, expectant spouses, weeping, outraged parents," the eyewitness remembered.

The eyewitness

The state leader of Rio state stated that the extensive law enforcement effort deploying about 2,500 officers was designed to preventing a criminal group referred to as Comando Vermelho from expanding its territory.

Initially, local officials maintained that "60 suspects and four police officers" had been killed in the operation.

Authorities later reported that early calculations indicates that 117 alleged criminals were fatally injured.

The public legal service, that gives legal support to disadvantaged individuals, has estimated the total number of people killed as 132.

According to researchers, the gang is the only criminal group that recently has been able to make territorial gains across the region.

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

According to reporter an expert, who has long reported on criminal activity in the city for years, the gang "operates like a franchise" with local criminal leaders joining the organization and acting as "business partners".

The criminal group focuses mainly on narcotics distribution, while also dealing in weapons, valuable minerals, fuel, beverages smoking products.

Based on official reports, organization members are well armed and authorities stated that throughout the operation, they came under attack using drone-delivered explosives.

The official of Rio state, the political leader, characterized Red Command members as criminal extremists and referred to the security forces killed in the raid as courageous individuals.

However, the count of casualties in the operation has faced scrutiny from UN human rights officials saying it was "shocked".

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

"We did not plan to cause fatalities. We intended to arrest them all alive," he said.

He added that the events intensified as the individuals had retaliated: "It occurred of the retaliation they carried out and the excessive violence from the gang members."

The official additionally stated that the victims displayed by locals in Penha had been "manipulated".

Via a statement on social media, he claimed that some of them had been taken of tactical gear he said they had been wearing "to redirect responsibility to security forces".

Felipe Curi of Rio's civil police force also said that "camouflage clothing, protective equipment, and firearms" were taken away from the casualties and showed footage seemingly depicting a person removing tactical gear {off a corpse