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The photographer

An eyewitness who documented the consequences of a massive law enforcement action in the Brazilian city has reported how community members came back with badly injured victims of those who had died.

The victims "kept piling up: the count kept increasing", Bruno Itan stated. The total contained those of police officers.

One individual had been decapitated - others were "completely mutilated", he explained. Many also had evidence of stab wounds.

Over 120 individuals lost their lives during the security action targeting an illegal organization - the deadliest such raid in the city.

Bruno Itan reported that he was first alerted concerning the action Tuesday morning by local people living in Alemão, who sent him messages alerting him there was a shoot-out.

The reporter traveled to a local medical facility, where the victims were being brought.

The photographer stated that security forces stopped members of the press from going into the affected area, where the police action were taking place.

"Police officers formed a line and said: 'Media representatives are not allowed to pass'."

However, the photographer, who was raised in the area, reported he managed to gain access into the cordoned-off area, where he stayed until dawn.

He reported that evening, local residents began to search the elevated terrain that borders Penha from the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for loved ones who were unaccounted for since the police raid.

Residents from the Penha area organized the located casualties in a public space - and Itan's photos display the reaction of those present.

"The harsh reality of what occurred affected me deeply: the pain of the families, women collapsing, pregnant wives, crying, outraged parents," the eyewitness remembered.

The eyewitness

The official of the region declared that the extensive law enforcement effort involving around 2,500 security personnel was aimed at halting an illegal organization known as Red Command from increasing their control.

Originally, the Rio state government claimed that "60 suspects and four police officers" lost their lives during the action.

Authorities later reported that early calculations indicates that 117 individuals have been killed.

The legal assistance organization, that gives legal support to low-income residents, has put the total number of casualties to be 132.

Per investigative findings, Red Command stands as the sole illegal faction that recently has succeeded to increase its control throughout Rio state.

Experts commonly view one of the two largest gangs nationally, alongside First Capital Command, and has a history extending half a century.

Per Brazilian journalist a specialist, with extensive experience documenting illegal operations in Rio over many years, the criminal organization "works as a system" with area gang leaders joining the organization and serving as "commercial associates".

The organization focuses mainly on narcotics distribution, additionally trafficking guns, valuable minerals, energy resources, alcohol and tobacco.

Based on official reports, organization members possess significant weaponry and officials reported that during the raid, they came under attack from explosive-laden drones.

The governor of the region, the government representative, described organization participants as "narcoterrorists" and called the four police officers fatally injured in the action as courageous individuals.

However, the count of people killed in the security action has come in for criticism with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights stating they were "appalled".

In a media appearance on Wednesday, the state leader supported law enforcement.

"It wasn't our intention to result in deaths. We aimed to arrest them all alive," he said.

He added that the events intensified as the individuals resisted aggressively: "It resulted of the resistance they carried out and the overwhelming response by those criminals."

The state leader also said that the bodies displayed by locals in Penha had been "manipulated".

Via a statement through digital channels, he asserted that certain victims had been removed of tactical gear which he claimed they wore "to transfer accusation toward law enforcement".

A law enforcement representative from the police department also said that military attire, vests, and firearms" were taken away from the bodies and displayed evidence apparently demonstrating a person cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse