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The eyewitness

An eyewitness who witnessed the aftermath of an extensive law enforcement action in Rio de Janeiro has reported how local people returned with badly injured victims of those who had died.

The casualties "kept piling up: the numbers kept rising", the photographer reported. Among them were those of police officers.

One individual had been decapitated - additional victims were "totally disfigured", he explained. Several bodies showed evidence of stab wounds.

In excess of 120 victims lost their lives during Tuesday's raid on a criminal gang - the deadliest such raid Rio has experienced.

The photographer reported that residents first notified him concerning the action Tuesday morning by community members from the Alemão area, who sent him messages telling him there was a shoot-out.

The photographer traveled to the healthcare center, where the victims were arriving.

The photographer stated that security forces stopped members of the press from entering the Penha neighborhood, where the operation were taking place.

"Security forces formed a line and declared: 'Journalists cannot proceed beyond this point'."

But Itan, who was raised in that neighborhood, explained he managed to gain access into the restricted zone, where he continued through the night.

He explained during the night, area inhabitants began to search the elevated terrain which divides the Penha neighborhood from the adjacent Alemão area for family members who had been missing following the security action.

Community members of the Penha neighbourhood proceeded to place the located casualties in a square - the photographer's images display the response of the people there.

"The harsh reality of it all impacted me deeply: the pain of relatives, mothers fainting, expectant spouses, weeping, angry family members," the photographer recalled.

The eyewitness

The official of Rio state announced that the large-scale security action deploying about 2,500 law enforcement members was aimed at preventing a gang known as Comando Vermelho from increasing their control.

Originally, state authorities maintained that sixty individuals plus four law enforcement personnel" had been killed during the action.

Authorities later reported that early calculations suggests that 117 "suspects" were fatally injured.

The public legal service, that offers legal help to the poor, has put the final tally of casualties to be 132.

Based on expert analysis, Red Command is the only criminal group that in the past few years has been able to expand its territory throughout Rio state.

Experts commonly view one of the two largest gangs in the country, together with First Capital Command, featuring a timeline extending half a century.

Based on reporter a specialist, who has been covering crime in Rio extensively, the criminal organization "functions as a network" with local criminal leaders forming part of the gang and acting as "operational allies".

The organization concentrates largely on drug trafficking, while also dealing in firearms, valuable minerals, fuel, alcohol cigarettes.

According to the authorities, organization members have substantial firearms and officials reported that during the raid, they came under attack from explosive-laden drones.

The state leader of the state, the political leader, characterized Red Command members as "narcoterrorists" and referred to the law enforcement personnel killed in the raid as brave public servants.

Nevertheless, the total of casualties during the raid has received condemnation from international human rights authorities saying it was "appalled".

At a news conference the next day, Governor Castro defended the police force.

"We did not plan to kill anyone. We wanted to arrest them all alive," he declared.

He continued that the events had escalated because the suspects had retaliated: "It was a consequence of the counterattack they executed and the overwhelming response by the illegal group."

The governor further reported that the victims presented by community members in Penha were "altered".

Via a statement on online platforms, he said that certain victims had been removed of military-style attire that he stated they possessed "in order to shift blame toward law enforcement".

Felipe Curi of Rio's civil police force additionally stated that military attire, protective equipment, and weapons" had been removed from the victims and showed footage appearing to show an individual cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse