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The eyewitness

An eyewitness who observed the results of an extensive Brazilian police operation in Rio de Janeiro has recounted how local people brought back disfigured remains of the deceased individuals.

The casualties "continued arriving: the numbers kept rising", Bruno Itan stated. They included those of police officers.

A particular victim had been decapitated - while others appeared "completely mutilated", he said. Many also had what he described as knife injuries.

More than 120 people were killed in the Tuesday operation against a criminal group - the deadliest such raid in the city.

The photographer stated that he was first alerted to the raid in the early hours by local people living in Alemão, who sent him messages informing him gunfire had erupted.

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

The photographer stated that the police stopped members of the press from entering the Penha neighborhood, where the security measures were taking place.

"Law enforcement personnel established a perimeter and said: 'Journalists cannot proceed beyond this point'."

But Itan, who was raised in that neighborhood, stated he was able to make his way into the cordoned-off area, where he continued through the night.

He explained during the night, area inhabitants commenced searching the mountainous area that borders Penha from the adjacent Alemão area for family members whose whereabouts were unknown since the police raid.

Residents of the Penha neighbourhood arranged the located casualties in a public space - the photographer's images display the emotions of the gathered crowd.

"The violence of the situation impacted me profoundly: the pain of relatives, mothers fainting, women carrying children, sobbing, outraged parents," the reporter recounted.

The photographer

The governor of the region stated that the extensive law enforcement effort with approximately 2,500 officers was designed to halting a gang known as the criminal faction from increasing their control.

Initially, the Rio state government maintained that sixty alleged criminals and four police officers" were fatally injured in the raid.

They have since said that early calculations shows that 117 individuals lost their lives.

The public legal service, which provides legal assistance to the poor, has calculated the overall count of casualties at 132.

Based on expert analysis, Red Command is the only criminal group that recently has succeeded to expand its territory throughout Rio state.

It is generally regarded as a major illegal faction in the country, in company with a rival criminal group, with a background extending half a century.

According to correspondent Rafael Soares, who has been covering illegal operations in Rio for years, the gang "functions as a network" with local criminal leaders joining the organization and acting as "business partners".

The criminal group focuses mainly on drug trafficking, but also smuggles firearms, valuable minerals, petroleum products, beverages cigarettes.

According to the authorities, criminal affiliates possess significant weaponry and police said that while the action was underway, they encountered resistance from explosive-laden drones.

The official of Rio state, Cláudio Castro, labeled gang affiliates as criminal extremists and referred to the security forces killed in the raid as brave public servants.

However, the count of fatalities during the raid has received condemnation from international human rights authorities expressing they felt "horrified".

At a news conference on Wednesday, Governor Castro supported law enforcement.

"There was no objective to result in deaths. We wanted to detain everyone safely," he stated.

He further explained that the situation intensified as the individuals fought back: "It resulted of the resistance they implemented and the excessive violence from the gang members."

The official also said that the victims shown by residents in Penha had been "manipulated".

In a post on social media, he asserted that particular individuals had been taken of tactical gear which he claimed they wore "to transfer accusation to security forces".

A law enforcement representative representing security forces also said that tactical gear, vests, and arms" were taken away from the victims and showed footage appearing to show an individual removing tactical gear {off a corpse