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The eyewitness

A reporter who observed the aftermath of an extensive Brazilian police operation in the Brazilian city has described how local people brought back badly injured victims of people who lost their lives.

The casualties "kept coming: the numbers kept rising", Bruno Itan stated. The total contained those of police officers.

One individual was found without a head - while others appeared "totally disfigured", he explained. Many also had what appeared to be blade trauma.

Over 120 individuals lost their lives during Tuesday's raid against a criminal group - the most lethal operation the municipality has seen.

The eyewitness explained that he was first alerted about the operation Tuesday morning by community members living in Alemão, who contacted him informing him an armed confrontation was occurring.

The reporter went to the healthcare center, where the casualties were arriving.

The photographer stated that security forces stopped members of the press from accessing the Penha neighborhood, where the security measures was under way.

"Police officers established a perimeter and said: 'Journalists are not allowed to pass'."

However, the photographer, who was raised in the area, stated he was able to gain access into the restricted zone, where he remained until the next morning.

He described that evening, community members began to search the elevated terrain that separates the community of Penha and the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for loved ones whose whereabouts were unknown after the operation.

Local people from the Penha area organized the discovered victims in an open area - and Itan's photos reveal the response of the gathered crowd.

"The violence of it all affected me deeply: the pain of the families, parents losing consciousness, pregnant wives, weeping, angry family members," the photographer recalled.

The eyewitness

The state leader of Rio state stated that the extensive law enforcement effort involving around 2,500 officers was designed to stopping an illegal organization called Comando Vermelho from growing their influence.

Initially, state authorities maintained that sixty individuals and four police officers" were fatally injured during the action.

Officials subsequently stated that initial estimates suggests that 117 individuals lost their lives.

The public legal service, which provides legal assistance to the poor, has put the total number of fatalities as 132.

Per investigative findings, the criminal organization stands as the sole illegal faction that in the past few years has succeeded to increase its control throughout Rio state.

Experts commonly view as a major illegal faction nationally, together with a rival criminal group, and has a history dating back more than 50 years.

Based on Brazilian journalist a specialist, who has been covering illegal operations in Rio over many years, Red Command "functions as a network" with neighborhood bosses affiliating with the group and becoming "business partners".

The organization engages primarily in drug trafficking, additionally trafficking firearms, gold, energy resources, alcohol smoking products.

Per law enforcement statements, criminal affiliates have substantial firearms and officials reported that during the raid, they faced assaults using drone-delivered explosives.

The official of Rio state, the political leader, characterized Red Command members as "narcoterrorists" and described the four police officers who died during the operation as "heroes".

But the number of fatalities during the raid has faced scrutiny with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights expressing they felt "shocked".

At a news conference the following day, the official defended the police force.

"We did not plan to result in deaths. We intended to detain everyone safely," he stated.

He added that the circumstances had escalated as the individuals had retaliated: "It occurred of the retaliation they carried out and the overwhelming response from the gang members."

The official further reported that the victims presented by community members in Penha were "altered".

Via a statement through digital channels, he asserted that certain victims had been removed of the camouflage clothing he said they had been wearing "to redirect responsibility onto the police".

Felipe Curi representing security forces also said that military attire, body armor, and weapons" were stripped from the victims and presented video seemingly depicting an individual stripping military attire {off a corpse