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The eyewitness

A photographer who witnessed the aftermath of a large-scale law enforcement action in the Brazilian city has described how local people returned with mutilated bodies of people who lost their lives.

The victims "continued arriving: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45...", Bruno Itan described. They included those of police officers.

One individual was discovered headless - while others appeared "completely mutilated", he said. Many also had what he described as knife injuries.

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

Bruno Itan stated that he was first alerted about the operation early on Tuesday by local people living in Alemão, who contacted him informing him gunfire had erupted.

The reporter made his way to the Getúlio Vargas hospital, where the casualties were coming in.

The eyewitness reported that law enforcement prevented journalists from accessing the affected area, where the security measures was under way.

"Law enforcement personnel established a perimeter and announced: 'Journalists cannot proceed beyond this point'."

Nevertheless, the eyewitness, who grew up in the community, reported he succeeded to enter into the cordoned-off area, where he continued until the next morning.

He explained that evening, local residents began to search the hillside which divides Penha from the adjacent Alemão area for relatives who were unaccounted for after the operation.

Local people of the Penha neighbourhood organized the discovered victims in a square - the photographer's images show the response of the gathered crowd.

"The violence of the situation affected me a lot: the pain of relatives, women collapsing, expectant spouses, crying, angry family members," the eyewitness remembered.

The photographer

The governor of the state declared that the extensive law enforcement effort deploying about 2,500 law enforcement members was intended to stopping a criminal group called Red Command from growing their influence.

At first, local officials claimed that sixty individuals and four police officers" were fatally injured in the operation.

They have since said that initial estimates shows that 117 individuals lost their lives.

The public legal service, that offers legal help to low-income residents, has put the total number of casualties as 132.

According to researchers, the criminal organization stands as the sole illegal faction that recently has been able to increase its control across the region.

Experts commonly view as a major illegal faction in Brazil, alongside another major gang, with a background extending half a century.

Based on Brazilian journalist a specialist, who has been covering illegal operations in Rio extensively, Red Command "works as a system" with local criminal leaders joining the organization and serving as "business partners".

The organization engages primarily in drug trafficking, but also smuggles guns, gold, energy resources, beverages smoking products.

Based on official reports, gang members have substantial firearms and authorities stated that while the action was underway, they encountered resistance using drone-delivered explosives.

The official of the state, the political leader, characterized Red Command members as criminal extremists and referred to the security forces who died during the operation as courageous individuals.

But the number of casualties during the raid has come in for criticism from international human rights authorities saying it was "shocked".

At a news conference the following day, Governor Castro justified security actions.

"It wasn't our intention to cause fatalities. We aimed to arrest them all alive," he said.

He further explained that the circumstances worsened because the suspects had retaliated: "It was a consequence of the counterattack they carried out and the disproportionate use of force by those criminals."

The state leader further reported that the casualties shown by residents in the area had been "manipulated".

Via a statement on online platforms, he asserted that particular individuals had been taken of tactical gear which he claimed they wore "to transfer accusation to security forces".

A law enforcement representative of Rio's civil police force also said that tactical gear, protective equipment, and firearms" were taken away from the casualties and displayed evidence apparently demonstrating an individual stripping military attire {off a corpse