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The eyewitness

A photographer who witnessed the consequences of an extensive security raid in Rio de Janeiro has recounted how community members came back with disfigured remains of people who lost their lives.

The casualties "kept coming: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45...", the photographer stated. The total contained those of police officers.

One of the bodies was discovered headless - others were "completely mutilated", he explained. Several bodies showed evidence of knife injuries.

More than 120 people lost their lives in the Tuesday operation against a criminal group - the deadliest such raid the municipality has seen.

The eyewitness explained that he initially learned concerning the action Tuesday morning by residents from the Alemão area, who sent him messages alerting him gunfire had erupted.

The eyewitness traveled to the healthcare center, where the casualties were arriving.

Itan explained that the police prevented journalists from going into the operation zone, where the security measures were occurring.

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

But Itan, who spent his childhood in that neighborhood, explained he managed to enter past the security perimeter, where he continued through the night.

He explained that evening, local residents started looking the elevated terrain that borders the community of Penha and the adjacent Alemão area for relatives who had been missing following the security action.

Residents from the Penha area arranged the located casualties in a public space - and Itan's photos display the emotions of the gathered crowd.

"The violence of the situation impacted me profoundly: the pain of relatives, mothers fainting, pregnant wives, crying, outraged parents," the photographer recalled.

The photographer

The state leader of the state stated that the large-scale security action deploying about 2,500 security personnel was designed to stopping an illegal organization referred to as the criminal faction from increasing their control.

Originally, local officials claimed that sixty alleged criminals and four police officers" were fatally injured in the raid.

Authorities later reported that initial estimates indicates that 117 individuals have been killed.

The public legal service, that offers legal help to disadvantaged individuals, has calculated the final tally of fatalities at 132.

Per investigative findings, Red Command is the only criminal group that recently has managed to expand its territory throughout Rio state.

Experts commonly view one of the two largest gangs in the country, alongside First Capital Command, featuring a timeline dating back more than 50 years.

Based on correspondent a specialist, who has long reported on crime in Rio extensively, the criminal organization "functions as a network" with neighborhood bosses joining the organization and serving as "commercial associates".

The criminal group focuses mainly on narcotics distribution, but also smuggles weapons, gold, energy resources, beverages cigarettes.

Per law enforcement statements, gang members have substantial firearms and police said that throughout the operation, they encountered resistance using drone-delivered explosives.

The governor of Rio state, the government representative, described gang affiliates as criminal extremists and described the law enforcement personnel killed in the raid as brave public servants.

Nevertheless, the total of casualties in the security action has come in for criticism from UN human rights officials saying it was "horrified".

At a news conference the following day, the state leader supported law enforcement.

"It wasn't our intention to kill anyone. We intended to take suspects into custody without harm," he declared.

He added that the circumstances worsened because the suspects resisted aggressively: "It occurred of the retaliation they carried out and the disproportionate use of force from the gang members."

The governor also said that the victims displayed by locals in the neighborhood had been "manipulated".

Via a statement on social media, he claimed that particular individuals had been taken of tactical gear which he claimed they wore "in order to shift blame onto the police".

Felipe Curi of Rio's civil police force further reported that military attire, vests, and firearms" were taken away from the victims and showed footage appearing to show a person cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse