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The eyewitness

A photographer who witnessed the aftermath of an extensive law enforcement action in the Brazilian city has reported how residents came back with disfigured remains of those who had died.

The victims "continued arriving: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45...", Bruno Itan described. They included those of police officers.

One of the bodies was discovered headless - while others appeared "completely mutilated", he said. Many also had what appeared to be stab wounds.

More than 120 people were killed during the security action against a criminal group - the bloodiest action in the city.

Bruno Itan stated that he was first alerted to the raid in the early hours by community members of the Alemão neighbourhood, who contacted him alerting him an armed confrontation was occurring.

The reporter traveled to the Getúlio Vargas hospital, where the bodies were arriving.

Itan explained that the police stopped members of the press from entering the operation zone, where the operation was under way.

"Law enforcement personnel established a perimeter and announced: 'Journalists are not allowed to pass'."

But Itan, who spent his childhood in the community, reported he managed to make his way into the restricted zone, where he stayed until the next morning.

He reported during the night, local residents started looking the elevated terrain that separates the Penha neighborhood from the neighboring Alemão community for relatives who had been missing after the operation.

Residents living in Penha organized the located casualties in an open area - and Itan's photos show the reaction of the gathered crowd.

"The harsh reality of the situation affected me profoundly: the sorrow of relatives, women collapsing, expectant spouses, weeping, outraged parents," the photographer recalled.

The eyewitness

The state leader of Rio state announced that the extensive law enforcement effort with approximately 2,500 security personnel was intended to preventing a criminal group known as Red Command from expanding its territory.

At first, state authorities stated that sixty alleged criminals and four police officers" had been killed during the action.

Authorities later reported that early calculations indicates that 117 individuals lost their lives.

The legal assistance organization, which provides legal assistance to low-income residents, has estimated the overall count of fatalities at 132.

Based on expert analysis, the criminal organization stands as the sole illegal faction that in the past few years has managed to increase its control throughout Rio state.

Experts commonly view as a major illegal faction in the country, alongside a rival criminal group, featuring a timeline extending half a century.

According to Brazilian journalist an expert, who has long reported on illegal operations in Rio extensively, the criminal organization "operates like a franchise" with neighborhood bosses joining the organization and serving as "operational allies".

The criminal group engages primarily in drug trafficking, additionally trafficking weapons, gold, petroleum products, beverages and tobacco.

According to the authorities, criminal affiliates are well armed and authorities stated that during the raid, they encountered resistance from explosive-laden drones.

The governor of Rio state, the government representative, characterized Red Command members as "narcoterrorists" and described the four police officers killed in the raid as brave public servants.

Nevertheless, the total of fatalities during the raid has received condemnation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights saying it was "appalled".

During a press briefing on Wednesday, Governor Castro defended the police force.

"It wasn't our intention to kill anyone. We aimed to detain everyone safely," he stated.

He further explained that the circumstances had escalated due to the alleged criminals had retaliated: "It was a consequence of the counterattack they implemented and the excessive violence by the illegal group."

The state leader further reported that the victims shown by residents in Penha were "altered".

In a post on online platforms, he said that some of them had been stripped of tactical gear that he stated they possessed "to redirect responsibility onto the police".

A law enforcement representative from the police department further reported that tactical gear, protective equipment, and arms" were stripped from the bodies and presented video seemingly depicting a person stripping military attire {off a corpse