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The eyewitness

A reporter who documented the consequences of a massive law enforcement action in Rio de Janeiro has described how local people returned with disfigured remains of people who lost their lives.

The bodies "kept coming: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45...", Bruno Itan described. Among them were security forces.

A particular victim had been decapitated - others were "severely damaged", he said. Several bodies showed evidence of knife injuries.

More than 120 people lost their lives in the Tuesday operation against a criminal group - the most lethal operation Rio has experienced.

The eyewitness reported that residents first notified him to the raid Tuesday morning by local people living in Alemão, who reached out informing him there was a shoot-out.

The photographer traveled to a local medical facility, where the bodies were coming in.

The eyewitness reported that security forces prevented journalists from going into the affected area, where the security measures were taking place.

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

However, the photographer, who spent his childhood in the community, explained he managed to gain access into the restricted zone, where he continued until dawn.

He reported that Tuesday night, area inhabitants began to search the hillside that separates the community of Penha and the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for loved ones who were unaccounted for following the security action.

Residents from the Penha area arranged the located casualties in an open area - the documented evidence display the reaction of the gathered crowd.

"The violence of it all shook me deeply: the grief of loved ones, women collapsing, pregnant wives, weeping, angry family members," the photographer recalled.

The photographer

The governor of the region announced that the massive police operation deploying about 2,500 law enforcement members was aimed at halting a gang referred to as the criminal faction from expanding its territory.

Originally, state authorities claimed that sixty individuals and four police officers" were fatally injured in the raid.

Officials subsequently stated that early calculations shows that 117 individuals have been killed.

The public legal service, that gives legal support to disadvantaged individuals, has put the final tally of casualties at 132.

Per investigative findings, Red Command stands as the sole illegal faction that recently has been able to increase its control in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

It is generally regarded among the biggest criminal organizations nationally, in company with another major gang, with a background dating back more than 50 years.

Based on reporter an expert, with extensive experience documenting criminal activity in the city for years, the criminal organization "works as a system" with area gang leaders affiliating with the group and becoming "business partners".

The gang focuses mainly on narcotics distribution, while also dealing in firearms, valuable minerals, petroleum products, liquor cigarettes.

Based on official reports, criminal affiliates possess significant weaponry and officials reported that while the action was underway, they came under attack using drone-delivered explosives.

The official of the state, the political leader, described Red Command members as criminal extremists and called the security forces killed in the raid as courageous individuals.

But the number of people killed during the raid has faced scrutiny from international human rights authorities stating they were "shocked".

In a media appearance on Wednesday, the official justified security actions.

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

He added that the events intensified due to the alleged criminals had retaliated: "It occurred of the counterattack they executed and the excessive violence by those criminals."

The official additionally stated that the casualties presented by community members in Penha had been "manipulated".

Through a message on social media, he claimed that particular individuals had been stripped of military-style attire he said they had been wearing "in order to shift blame toward law enforcement".

A law enforcement representative representing security forces additionally stated that tactical gear, body armor, and arms" were taken away from the victims and displayed evidence seemingly depicting an individual stripping military attire {off a corpse