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The eyewitness

A reporter who documented the results of a large-scale law enforcement action in the Brazilian city has recounted how residents returned with badly injured victims of those who had died.

The victims "kept piling up: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45...", the photographer described. Among them were law enforcement personnel.

One individual had been decapitated - while others appeared "completely mutilated", he reported. Several bodies showed evidence of blade trauma.

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

The eyewitness explained that he was first alerted concerning the action Tuesday morning by residents living in Alemão, who contacted him alerting him an armed confrontation was occurring.

The eyewitness traveled to a local medical facility, where the casualties were arriving.

Itan explained that the police prevented journalists from accessing the operation zone, where the security measures was under way.

"Police officers created a barrier and announced: 'The press cannot proceed beyond this point'."

Nevertheless, the eyewitness, who grew up in that neighborhood, stated he managed to make his way past the security perimeter, where he remained until dawn.

He reported during the night, local residents began to search the elevated terrain that borders the Penha neighborhood from the neighboring Alemão community for family members who had been missing after the operation.

Community members living in Penha organized the located casualties in a public space - the photographer's images reveal the emotions of the gathered crowd.

"The harsh reality of it all affected me a lot: the pain of relatives, mothers fainting, pregnant wives, weeping, furious relatives," the photographer recalled.

The eyewitness

The official of the region announced that the massive police operation deploying about 2,500 law enforcement members was aimed at preventing a criminal group called the criminal faction from growing their influence.

At first, local officials claimed that sixty individuals plus four law enforcement personnel" had been killed during the action.

They have since said that their "preliminary" count shows that 117 alleged criminals have been killed.

The public legal service, which provides legal assistance to low-income residents, has calculated the total number of casualties at 132.

According to researchers, the gang is the only criminal group which in recent years has been able to increase its control in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

It is widely considered one of the two largest gangs in Brazil, in company with another major gang, with a background dating back more than 50 years.

According to Brazilian journalist an expert, who has long reported on crime in Rio over many years, the criminal organization "functions as a network" with local criminal leaders affiliating with the group and serving as "business partners".

The gang focuses mainly on narcotics distribution, while also dealing in guns, gold, energy resources, liquor cigarettes.

Based on official reports, criminal affiliates possess significant weaponry and authorities stated that while the action was underway, they encountered resistance from explosive-laden drones.

The governor of the state, the political leader, described Red Command members as "narcoterrorists" and described the four police officers fatally injured in the action as "heroes".

But the number of fatalities in the security action has received condemnation from UN human rights officials stating they were "appalled".

At a news conference the next day, the state leader supported law enforcement.

"We did not plan to result in deaths. We wanted to take suspects into custody without harm," he declared.

He continued that the events intensified due to the alleged criminals resisted aggressively: "It resulted of the counterattack they executed and the excessive violence from the gang members."

The state leader also said that the bodies shown by residents in Penha were "altered".

Via a statement on social media, he claimed that certain victims had been removed of tactical gear he said they had been wearing "to redirect responsibility onto the police".

Felipe Curi from the police department additionally stated that tactical gear, body armor, and arms" were taken away from the bodies and showed footage seemingly depicting a person removing tactical gear {off a corpse