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The photographer

An eyewitness who witnessed the consequences of an extensive Brazilian police operation in Rio de Janeiro has described how residents came back with disfigured remains of people who lost their lives.

The casualties "kept piling up: the count kept increasing", Bruno Itan described. The total contained those of police officers.

One individual was discovered headless - while others appeared "totally disfigured", he explained. Many also had evidence of knife injuries.

In excess of 120 victims were killed in the Tuesday operation targeting an illegal organization - the most lethal operation the municipality has seen.

The photographer reported that residents first notified him concerning the action Tuesday morning by community members of the Alemão neighbourhood, who reached out alerting him an armed confrontation was occurring.

The reporter traveled to the Getúlio Vargas hospital, where the victims were arriving.

The eyewitness reported that law enforcement prevented journalists from accessing the affected area, where the security measures was under way.

"Security forces created a barrier and announced: 'Journalists are not allowed to pass'."

But Itan, who grew up in that neighborhood, stated he succeeded to gain access past the security perimeter, where he stayed until dawn.

He described during the night, community members commenced searching the elevated terrain which divides Penha from the neighboring Alemão community for family members who had been missing after the operation.

Residents living in Penha arranged the discovered victims in a square - the photographer's images display the emotions of the people there.

"The violence of the situation impacted me profoundly: the pain of loved ones, mothers fainting, women carrying children, crying, furious relatives," the eyewitness remembered.

The photographer

The official of the state announced that the massive police operation deploying about 2,500 security personnel was intended to halting an illegal organization known as the criminal faction from expanding its territory.

Originally, state authorities stated that "60 suspects and four police officers" had been killed in the raid.

Authorities later reported that initial estimates indicates that 117 individuals were fatally injured.

The public legal service, that offers legal help to the poor, has put the overall count of fatalities at 132.

According to researchers, the criminal organization stands as the sole illegal faction which in recent years has been able to expand its territory in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

It is widely considered one of the two largest gangs in the country, in company with a rival criminal group, featuring a timeline spanning over five decades.

According to reporter a specialist, who has long reported on crime in Rio extensively, the gang "works as a system" with area gang leaders forming part of the gang and becoming "business partners".

The organization focuses mainly on illegal drug trade, additionally trafficking weapons, gold, energy resources, alcohol and tobacco.

Based on official reports, gang members possess significant weaponry and authorities stated that during the raid, they came under attack using drone-delivered explosives.

The governor of the state, Cláudio Castro, characterized Red Command members as criminal extremists and described the four police officers fatally injured in the action as "heroes".

However, the count of fatalities in the operation has come in for criticism 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 justified security actions.

"We did not plan to result in deaths. We wanted to arrest them all alive," he said.

He continued that the events worsened because the suspects resisted aggressively: "It occurred of the counterattack they executed and the excessive violence by the illegal group."

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

Through a message on online platforms, he said that certain victims had been removed of tactical gear he said they had been wearing "to transfer accusation toward law enforcement".

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