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The eyewitness

An eyewitness who documented the aftermath of a large-scale law enforcement action in the Brazilian city has reported how residents came back with badly injured victims of those who had died.

The victims "continued arriving: the numbers kept rising", the photographer described. The total contained those of police officers.

One of the bodies was discovered headless - additional victims were "completely mutilated", he explained. Several bodies showed evidence of blade trauma.

Over 120 individuals lost their lives in the Tuesday operation against a criminal group - the most lethal operation in the city.

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

The reporter traveled to a local medical facility, where the bodies were arriving.

The eyewitness reported that the police blocked media personnel from entering the Penha neighborhood, where the operation were taking place.

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

Nevertheless, the eyewitness, who was raised in the community, stated he was able to enter into the restricted zone, where he remained through the night.

He reported that Tuesday night, local residents began to search the elevated terrain that borders the Penha neighborhood from the neighboring Alemão community for family members who were unaccounted for after the operation.

Residents of the Penha neighbourhood arranged the discovered victims in a public space - and Itan's photos display the reaction of those present.

"The brutality of the situation shook me deeply: the pain of loved ones, women collapsing, pregnant wives, sobbing, furious relatives," the eyewitness remembered.

Bruno Itan

The official of Rio state declared that the extensive law enforcement effort with approximately 2,500 officers was intended to stopping a gang known as the criminal faction from expanding its territory.

Originally, the Rio state government claimed that sixty individuals plus four law enforcement personnel" were fatally injured in the raid.

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

The legal assistance organization, which provides legal assistance to the poor, has estimated the final tally of casualties as 132.

Based on expert analysis, the criminal organization represents the unique criminal entity that in the past few years has been able to make territorial gains throughout Rio state.

Experts commonly view as a major illegal faction in Brazil, together with First Capital Command, and has a history extending half a century.

According to Brazilian journalist an expert, who has been covering illegal operations in Rio for years, the criminal organization "works as a system" with neighborhood bosses affiliating with the group and serving as "commercial associates".

The organization engages primarily in narcotics distribution, but also smuggles weapons, valuable minerals, energy resources, alcohol and tobacco.

According to the authorities, criminal affiliates are well armed and authorities stated that while the action was underway, they encountered resistance using drone-delivered explosives.

The official of the region, Cláudio Castro, characterized organization participants as criminal extremists and referred to the law enforcement personnel killed in the raid as "heroes".

But the number of casualties in the operation has come in for criticism from UN human rights officials stating they were "shocked".

In a media appearance the next day, the official defended the police force.

"There was no objective to kill anyone. We wanted to arrest them all alive," he declared.

He added that the events worsened as the individuals resisted aggressively: "It resulted of the retaliation they executed and the overwhelming response from the gang members."

The state leader also said that the casualties displayed by locals in the neighborhood were "altered".

In a post through digital channels, he said that some of them had been stripped of tactical gear that he stated they possessed "to redirect responsibility toward law enforcement".

A law enforcement representative representing security forces also said that "camouflage clothing, body armor, and weapons" had been removed from the bodies and presented video seemingly depicting a man stripping military attire {off a corpse