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The eyewitness

An eyewitness who observed the aftermath of an extensive Brazilian police operation in Rio de Janeiro has recounted how local people came back with badly injured victims of those who had died.

The casualties "kept coming: the numbers kept rising", Bruno Itan described. They included law enforcement personnel.

One individual was discovered headless - others were "severely damaged", he said. Several bodies showed what appeared to be stab wounds.

In excess of 120 victims were fatally injured in the Tuesday operation on a criminal gang - the deadliest such raid Rio has experienced.

The photographer stated that he initially learned to the raid early on Tuesday by community members of the Alemão neighbourhood, who sent him messages informing him an armed confrontation was occurring.

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

The photographer stated that security forces prevented journalists from accessing the affected area, where the police action were occurring.

"Police officers formed a line and declared: 'The press are not allowed to pass'."

But Itan, who spent his childhood in the community, explained he was able to make his way into the cordoned-off area, where he continued through the night.

He reported during the night, local residents began to search the mountainous area that separates the Penha neighborhood from the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for family members who were unaccounted for following the security action.

Local people of the Penha neighbourhood proceeded to place the located casualties in a square - the documented evidence display the emotions of the gathered crowd.

"The violence of it all shook me a lot: the grief of the families, women collapsing, women carrying children, sobbing, furious relatives," the eyewitness remembered.

Bruno Itan

The official of the state announced that the massive police operation with approximately 2,500 law enforcement members was aimed at stopping an illegal organization called the criminal faction from growing their influence.

Initially, state authorities maintained that sixty individuals along with four officers" lost their lives during the action.

Authorities later reported that initial estimates shows that 117 "suspects" have been killed.

The legal assistance organization, which provides legal assistance to the poor, has calculated the overall count of casualties to be 132.

Per investigative findings, Red Command represents the unique criminal entity that in the past few years has succeeded to increase its control throughout Rio state.

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

Per reporter an expert, who has been covering illegal operations in Rio for years, the gang "functions as a network" with area gang leaders joining the organization and becoming "business partners".

The criminal group focuses mainly on illegal drug trade, additionally trafficking firearms, precious metals, petroleum products, alcohol smoking products.

According to the authorities, organization members possess significant weaponry and officials reported that throughout the operation, they encountered resistance via weaponized unmanned aircraft.

The state leader of the region, Cláudio Castro, characterized Red Command members as criminal extremists and referred to the law enforcement personnel fatally injured in the action as brave public servants.

However, the count of people killed during the raid has come in for criticism with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights expressing they felt "appalled".

During a press briefing the next day, Governor Castro defended the police force.

"We did not plan to cause fatalities. We wanted to arrest them all alive," he stated.

He continued that the situation worsened because the suspects had retaliated: "It resulted of the retaliation they implemented and the excessive violence by those criminals."

The state leader further reported that the victims presented by community members in Penha had been "tampered with".

Through a message on social media, he claimed that certain victims had been taken of the camouflage clothing he said they had been wearing "in order to shift blame to security forces".

A police official of Rio's civil police force additionally stated that "camouflage clothing, body armor, and arms" were taken away from the casualties and presented video apparently demonstrating a person cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse