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The photographer

A reporter who witnessed the results of a massive security raid in the Brazilian city has described how local people brought back badly injured victims of those who had died.

The victims "continued arriving: the count kept increasing", the eyewitness described. The total contained security forces.

One individual was discovered headless - additional victims were "completely mutilated", he explained. Several bodies showed what he described as blade trauma.

More than 120 people were killed during the security action on a criminal gang - the most lethal operation in the city.

The photographer reported that residents first notified him concerning the action in the early hours by residents of the Alemão neighbourhood, who contacted him informing him an armed confrontation was occurring.

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 operation was under way.

"Security forces created a barrier and said: 'The press doesn't get past here'."

Nevertheless, the eyewitness, who spent his childhood in the area, stated he was able to enter past the security perimeter, where he remained until the next morning.

He reported during the night, community members began to search the elevated terrain that borders Penha from the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for relatives whose whereabouts were unknown following the security action.

Community members living in Penha organized the discovered victims in a public space - and Itan's photos display the response of the people there.

"The harsh reality of the situation impacted me a lot: the pain of relatives, parents losing consciousness, women carrying children, crying, outraged parents," the eyewitness remembered.

The eyewitness

The state leader of the state stated that the massive police operation involving around 2,500 law enforcement members was designed to preventing an illegal organization referred to as Comando Vermelho from growing their influence.

At first, local officials maintained that sixty individuals plus four law enforcement personnel" were fatally injured during the action.

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

Rio's public defender's office, that offers legal help to low-income residents, has calculated the total number of fatalities at 132.

Based on expert analysis, Red Command is the only criminal group that recently has been able to expand its territory across the region.

Experts commonly view among the biggest criminal organizations in Brazil, together with First Capital Command, featuring a timeline dating back more than 50 years.

According to reporter Rafael Soares, who has been covering crime in Rio for years, the gang "works as a system" with local criminal leaders affiliating with the group and becoming "business partners".

The organization engages primarily in illegal drug trade, while also dealing in weapons, valuable minerals, petroleum products, beverages smoking products.

According to the authorities, organization members have substantial firearms and authorities stated that during the raid, they faced assaults from explosive-laden drones.

The official of the state, the political leader, described Red Command members as drug terrorists and described the four police officers killed in the raid as "heroes".

Nevertheless, the total of fatalities in the operation has received condemnation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights expressing they felt "shocked".

During a press briefing the following day, Governor Castro justified security actions.

"We did not plan to result in deaths. We aimed to detain everyone safely," he declared.

He further explained that the events intensified as the individuals resisted aggressively: "It was a consequence of the counterattack they carried out and the disproportionate use of force by those criminals."

The official also said that the bodies displayed by locals in the neighborhood had been "manipulated".

Via a statement through digital channels, he said that certain victims had been removed of the camouflage clothing that he stated they possessed "to redirect responsibility toward law enforcement".

Felipe Curi of Rio's civil police force additionally stated that "camouflage clothing, vests, and weapons" were taken away from the bodies and showed footage appearing to show an individual removing tactical gear {off a corpse