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The eyewitness

A photographer who observed the results of a large-scale security raid in the Brazilian city has recounted how local people returned with disfigured remains of people who lost their lives.

The bodies "continued arriving: the numbers kept rising", Bruno Itan stated. They included those of police officers.

A particular victim had been decapitated - others were "totally disfigured", he said. Numerous victims displayed what appeared to be knife injuries.

More than 120 people lost their lives in the Tuesday operation targeting an illegal organization - the deadliest such raid the municipality has seen.

The eyewitness explained that he was first alerted about the operation in the early hours by local people of the Alemão neighbourhood, who sent him messages informing him there was a shoot-out.

The reporter made his way to a local medical facility, where the victims were coming in.

The eyewitness reported that law enforcement blocked media personnel from accessing the affected area, where the operation were taking place.

"Law enforcement personnel established a perimeter and declared: 'Media representatives are not allowed to pass'."

But Itan, who was raised in the community, stated he was able to enter into the restricted zone, where he continued through the night.

He reported during the night, community members started looking the mountainous area that borders the Penha neighborhood from the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for family members who had been missing following the security action.

Community members from the Penha area organized the located casualties in an open area - and Itan's photos display the emotions of those present.

"The violence of what occurred impacted me profoundly: the sorrow of relatives, parents losing consciousness, expectant spouses, crying, outraged parents," the photographer recalled.

Bruno Itan

The official of Rio state announced that the large-scale security action involving around 2,500 security personnel was designed to halting an illegal organization referred to as Comando Vermelho from increasing their control.

At first, the Rio state government claimed that "60 suspects and four police officers" were fatally injured during the action.

Officials subsequently stated that their "preliminary" count shows that 117 individuals have been killed.

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

Based on expert analysis, Red Command stands as the sole illegal faction that recently has managed to make territorial gains across the region.

Experts commonly view among the biggest criminal organizations in the country, alongside a rival criminal group, with a background dating back more than 50 years.

According to correspondent Rafael Soares, who has been covering criminal activity in the city extensively, the gang "operates like a franchise" with area gang leaders forming part of the gang and acting as "business partners".

The gang concentrates largely on drug trafficking, but also smuggles firearms, gold, petroleum products, beverages cigarettes.

Per law enforcement statements, gang members are well armed and authorities stated that while the action was underway, they encountered resistance using drone-delivered explosives.

The official of the state, Cláudio Castro, described gang affiliates as drug terrorists and described the security forces fatally injured in the action as brave public servants.

However, the count of fatalities during the raid has come in for criticism from UN human rights officials stating they were "shocked".

At a news conference the next day, the official supported law enforcement.

"We did not plan to cause fatalities. We wanted to arrest them all alive," he stated.

He continued that the circumstances intensified as the individuals had retaliated: "It occurred of the resistance they carried out and the excessive violence from the gang members."

The official also said that the bodies shown by residents in the area had been "tampered with".

Via a statement on social media, he claimed that certain victims had been stripped of tactical gear which he claimed they wore "to transfer accusation to security forces".

A police official from the police department further reported that military attire, body armor, and arms" had been removed from the bodies and presented video seemingly depicting a man removing tactical gear {off a corpse