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The eyewitness

A reporter who documented the consequences of a massive security raid in Rio de Janeiro has described how residents came back with badly injured victims of the deceased individuals.

The bodies "continued arriving: the numbers kept rising", the photographer stated. They included law enforcement personnel.

A particular victim was discovered headless - others were "severely damaged", he explained. Several bodies showed what he described as blade trauma.

Over 120 individuals were fatally injured during the security action against a criminal group - the most lethal operation Rio has experienced.

Bruno Itan stated that he initially learned about the operation early on Tuesday by residents living in Alemão, who sent him messages telling him an armed confrontation was occurring.

The photographer traveled to the healthcare center, where the victims were coming in.

The eyewitness reported that the police blocked media personnel from entering the affected area, where the police action were taking place.

"Security forces established a perimeter and declared: 'Media representatives cannot proceed beyond this point'."

But Itan, who grew up in that neighborhood, stated he was able to gain access into the restricted zone, where he stayed until the next morning.

He described that evening, area inhabitants commenced searching the mountainous area which divides the community of Penha and the neighboring Alemão community for loved ones whose whereabouts were unknown since the police raid.

Community members from the Penha area arranged the recovered bodies in a public space - and Itan's photos display the emotions of the people there.

"The brutality of the situation affected me deeply: the pain of relatives, women collapsing, pregnant wives, weeping, angry family members," the reporter recounted.

Bruno Itan

The official of the state stated that the large-scale security action deploying about 2,500 officers was intended to halting a gang known as Red Command from expanding its territory.

Initially, state authorities maintained that sixty alleged criminals and four police officers" were fatally injured in the operation.

They have since said that early calculations indicates that 117 "suspects" lost their lives.

The public legal service, which provides legal assistance to the poor, has calculated the final tally of people killed as 132.

Per investigative findings, Red Command represents the unique criminal entity that recently has managed to expand its territory throughout Rio state.

It is generally regarded one of the two largest gangs nationally, in company with another major gang, with a background dating back more than 50 years.

Based on correspondent an expert, who has long reported on illegal operations in Rio extensively, the criminal organization "functions as a network" with local criminal leaders affiliating with the group and becoming "operational allies".

The criminal group focuses mainly on narcotics distribution, but also smuggles weapons, valuable minerals, fuel, liquor and tobacco.

According to the authorities, organization members possess significant weaponry and authorities stated that while the action was underway, they faced assaults using drone-delivered explosives.

The official of Rio state, the government representative, described organization participants as criminal extremists and called the law enforcement personnel killed in the raid as courageous individuals.

But the number of casualties during the raid has received condemnation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights stating they were "appalled".

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

"There was no objective to kill anyone. We aimed to arrest them all alive," he said.

He continued that the events worsened as the individuals resisted aggressively: "It was a consequence of the retaliation they implemented and the excessive violence from the gang members."

The official further reported that the bodies presented by community members in the neighborhood had been "manipulated".

In a post on online platforms, he asserted that some of them had been stripped of military-style attire which he claimed they wore "to transfer accusation to security forces".

Felipe Curi of Rio's civil police force also said that "camouflage clothing, vests, and arms" were taken away from the bodies and presented video seemingly depicting an individual cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse