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The eyewitness

A photographer who observed the consequences of an extensive Brazilian police operation 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", the eyewitness stated. Among them were law enforcement personnel.

One of the bodies was found without a head - others were "severely damaged", he reported. Several bodies showed evidence of knife injuries.

Over 120 individuals lost their lives in the Tuesday operation on a criminal gang - the bloodiest action Rio has experienced.

The photographer stated that he was first alerted concerning the action Tuesday morning by community members of the Alemão neighbourhood, who contacted him informing him there was a shoot-out.

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

Itan explained that the police blocked media personnel from going into the operation zone, where the police action were taking place.

"Police officers established a perimeter and declared: 'The press cannot proceed beyond this point'."

However, the photographer, who was raised in that neighborhood, explained he was able to make his way into the restricted zone, where he remained until dawn.

He explained that evening, community members commenced searching the hillside which divides the community of Penha and the neighboring Alemão community for relatives whose whereabouts were unknown after the operation.

Local people of the Penha neighbourhood proceeded to place the located casualties in a square - the documented evidence reveal the emotions of the people there.

"The brutality of it all impacted me profoundly: the grief of loved ones, parents losing consciousness, pregnant wives, sobbing, outraged parents," the eyewitness remembered.

The photographer

The governor of the state stated that the massive police operation deploying about 2,500 officers was intended to stopping an illegal organization referred to as the criminal faction from growing their influence.

At first, local officials maintained that sixty individuals and four police officers" lost their lives during the action.

Officials subsequently stated that their "preliminary" count shows that 117 "suspects" were fatally injured.

The public legal service, which provides legal assistance to disadvantaged individuals, has calculated the final tally of people killed as 132.

Per investigative findings, the criminal organization stands as the sole illegal faction that recently has been able to make territorial gains throughout Rio state.

It is widely considered as a major illegal faction in Brazil, together with another major gang, and has a history extending half a century.

According to correspondent Rafael Soares, who has been covering crime in Rio for years, Red Command "functions as a network" with local criminal leaders forming part of the gang and acting as "commercial associates".

The criminal group concentrates largely on illegal drug trade, additionally trafficking weapons, gold, energy resources, liquor cigarettes.

According to the authorities, gang members have substantial firearms and officials reported that during the raid, they faced assaults using drone-delivered explosives.

The official of the region, the political leader, labeled gang affiliates as "narcoterrorists" and called the four police officers fatally injured in the action as courageous individuals.

But the number of people killed in the security action has received condemnation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights expressing they felt "appalled".

In a media appearance on Wednesday, the official justified security actions.

"It wasn't our intention to kill anyone. We wanted to take suspects into custody without harm," he declared.

He further explained that the events had escalated due to the alleged criminals fought back: "It occurred of the retaliation they implemented and the excessive violence from the gang members."

The governor additionally stated that the bodies shown by residents in Penha had been "tampered with".

Via a statement through digital channels, he asserted that some of them had been stripped of the camouflage clothing that he stated they possessed "in order to shift blame toward law enforcement".

A law enforcement representative of Rio's civil police force further reported that military attire, protective equipment, and firearms" were taken away from the victims and presented video appearing to show a person removing tactical gear {off a corpse