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The eyewitness

A reporter who witnessed the results of a massive Brazilian police operation in Rio de Janeiro has recounted how community members came back with badly injured victims of people who lost their lives.

The casualties "kept piling up: the count kept increasing", the photographer described. Among them were those of police officers.

One individual had been decapitated - additional victims were "totally disfigured", he explained. Numerous victims displayed evidence of knife injuries.

More than 120 people were fatally injured during Tuesday's raid against a criminal group - the bloodiest action Rio has experienced.

Bruno Itan stated that he initially learned about the operation Tuesday morning by community members of the Alemão neighbourhood, who sent him messages informing him an armed confrontation was occurring.

The eyewitness traveled to the Getúlio Vargas hospital, where the bodies were coming in.

Itan explained that law enforcement blocked media personnel from accessing the Penha neighborhood, where the police action were occurring.

"Police officers formed a line and announced: 'Journalists doesn't get past here'."

However, the photographer, who spent his childhood in that neighborhood, explained he managed to gain access into the restricted zone, where he remained until dawn.

He reported that Tuesday night, area inhabitants started looking the mountainous area which divides Penha from the neighboring Alemão community for family members who were unaccounted for after the operation.

Residents from the Penha area proceeded to place the located casualties in a square - the documented evidence show the emotions of the people there.

"The violence of the situation affected me profoundly: the pain of loved ones, parents losing consciousness, expectant spouses, weeping, angry family members," the reporter recounted.

The photographer

The official of the region stated that the large-scale security action deploying about 2,500 law enforcement members was aimed at halting an illegal organization known as Red Command from increasing their control.

Initially, the Rio state government stated that "60 suspects plus four law enforcement personnel" lost their lives in the operation.

Authorities later reported that early calculations suggests that 117 alleged criminals lost their lives.

The public legal service, which provides legal assistance to disadvantaged individuals, has estimated the final tally of casualties as 132.

Per investigative findings, the criminal organization represents the unique criminal entity that in the past few years has been able to make territorial gains in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

Experts commonly view among the biggest criminal organizations nationally, alongside First Capital Command, with a background dating back more than 50 years.

Per Brazilian journalist a specialist, who has long reported on crime in Rio over many years, the criminal organization "works as a system" with local criminal leaders joining the organization and serving as "business partners".

The criminal group focuses mainly on drug trafficking, while also dealing in weapons, precious metals, petroleum products, liquor smoking products.

Per law enforcement statements, organization members possess significant weaponry and authorities stated that throughout the operation, they encountered resistance from explosive-laden drones.

The official of Rio state, Cláudio Castro, labeled Red Command members as drug terrorists and called the security forces who died during the operation as courageous individuals.

But the number of people killed during the raid has received condemnation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights stating they were "appalled".

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

"There was no objective to cause fatalities. We intended to take suspects into custody without harm," he stated.

He further explained that the events worsened due to the alleged criminals had retaliated: "It occurred of the counterattack they implemented and the overwhelming response by the illegal group."

The governor further reported that the bodies shown by residents in the neighborhood had been "tampered with".

Through a message on online platforms, he claimed that certain victims had been stripped 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 further reported that "camouflage clothing, vests, and weapons" were taken away from the victims and displayed evidence seemingly depicting a person removing tactical gear {off a corpse