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The eyewitness

A reporter who observed the consequences of an extensive Brazilian police operation in the metropolitan area has described how community members came back with disfigured remains of those who had died.

The victims "continued arriving: the count kept increasing", the eyewitness stated. Among them were those of police officers.

A particular victim was discovered headless - additional victims were "severely damaged", he explained. Numerous victims displayed evidence of stab wounds.

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

The photographer reported that he was first alerted concerning the action in the early hours by local people of the Alemão neighbourhood, who reached out informing him there was a shoot-out.

The eyewitness made his way to a local medical facility, where the casualties were being brought.

The eyewitness reported that security forces blocked media personnel from going into the Penha neighborhood, where the security measures was under way.

"Law enforcement personnel formed a line and announced: 'Media representatives cannot proceed beyond this point'."

Nevertheless, the eyewitness, who spent his childhood in the community, reported he was able to gain access into the restricted zone, where he continued until dawn.

He described that Tuesday night, area inhabitants began to search the elevated terrain that borders the Penha neighborhood from the adjacent Alemão area for relatives whose whereabouts were unknown after the operation.

Community members of the Penha neighbourhood organized the located casualties in a square - and Itan's photos display the emotions of the gathered crowd.

"The harsh reality of it all impacted me profoundly: the sorrow of relatives, parents losing consciousness, expectant spouses, sobbing, furious relatives," the reporter recounted.

Bruno Itan

The governor of the region announced that the massive police operation with approximately 2,500 law enforcement members was designed to preventing an illegal organization called the criminal faction from increasing their control.

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

Authorities later reported that early calculations indicates that 117 individuals have been killed.

Rio's public defender's office, that offers legal help to low-income residents, has calculated the overall count of fatalities to be 132.

Per investigative findings, the gang is the only criminal group which in recent years has succeeded to expand its territory throughout Rio state.

Experts commonly view as a major illegal faction in the country, alongside a rival criminal group, and has a history spanning over five decades.

Based on correspondent Rafael Soares, with extensive experience documenting criminal activity in the city over many years, the criminal organization "functions as a network" with local criminal leaders joining the organization and acting as "commercial associates".

The organization engages primarily in drug trafficking, while also dealing in weapons, valuable minerals, fuel, beverages and tobacco.

Per law enforcement statements, organization members have substantial firearms and police said that throughout the operation, they faced assaults from explosive-laden drones.

The official of Rio state, the political leader, labeled organization participants as drug terrorists and described the four police officers who died during the operation as "heroes".

However, the count of casualties during the raid has received condemnation from UN human rights officials expressing they felt "shocked".

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

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

He added that the situation had escalated because the suspects resisted aggressively: "It occurred of the resistance they executed and the excessive violence by those criminals."

The governor also said that the bodies displayed by locals in the neighborhood had been "manipulated".

Through a message through digital channels, he said that particular individuals had been taken of tactical gear which he claimed they wore "in order to shift blame onto the police".

A police official of Rio's civil police force additionally stated that military attire, body armor, and weapons" were taken away from the victims and presented video apparently demonstrating an individual cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse