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Bruno Itan

A reporter who witnessed the aftermath of a massive law enforcement action in the metropolitan area has recounted how community members brought back disfigured remains of those who had died.

The victims "kept piling up: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45...", Bruno Itan reported. The total contained security forces.

One of the bodies had been decapitated - others were "severely damaged", he said. Several bodies showed what he described as knife injuries.

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

The eyewitness explained that residents first notified him to the raid early on Tuesday by community members living in Alemão, who reached out alerting him there was a shoot-out.

The eyewitness made his way to the Getúlio Vargas hospital, where the bodies were being brought.

The eyewitness reported that security forces prevented journalists from accessing the operation zone, where the operation were occurring.

"Police officers created a barrier and announced: 'The press are not allowed to pass'."

However, the photographer, who was raised in the community, stated he was able to make his way into the restricted zone, where he remained through the night.

He reported during the night, area inhabitants commenced searching the mountainous area that separates the community of Penha and the neighboring Alemão community for relatives who had been missing following the security action.

Local people living in Penha arranged the discovered victims in a square - the documented evidence show the emotions of the people there.

"The violence of the situation affected me a lot: the pain of relatives, women collapsing, pregnant wives, sobbing, furious relatives," the eyewitness remembered.

The photographer

The state leader of Rio state announced that the large-scale security action involving around 2,500 security personnel was aimed at halting a criminal group known as Comando Vermelho from expanding its territory.

Originally, the Rio state government maintained that sixty individuals plus four law enforcement personnel" lost their lives in the raid.

Officials subsequently stated that early calculations indicates that 117 individuals have been killed.

The legal assistance organization, which provides legal assistance to low-income residents, has calculated the total number of people killed as 132.

According to researchers, Red Command represents the unique criminal entity that recently has succeeded to expand its territory across the region.

It is generally regarded as a major illegal faction in Brazil, together with another major gang, and has a history spanning over five decades.

Per correspondent an expert, who has been covering criminal activity in the city extensively, Red Command "works as a system" with neighborhood bosses affiliating with the group and acting as "business partners".

The gang engages primarily in illegal drug trade, but also smuggles weapons, precious metals, energy resources, alcohol smoking products.

Per law enforcement statements, organization members possess significant weaponry and officials reported that while the action was underway, they came under attack via weaponized unmanned aircraft.

The official of the region, the government representative, characterized Red Command members as criminal extremists and described the four police officers killed in the raid as "heroes".

But the number of casualties in the security action has come in for criticism from UN human rights officials expressing they felt "appalled".

During a press briefing the next day, Governor Castro defended the police force.

"It wasn't our intention to result in deaths. We wanted to detain everyone safely," he said.

He continued that the events worsened due to the alleged criminals had retaliated: "It was a consequence of the counterattack they implemented and the overwhelming response by those criminals."

The official further reported that the casualties displayed by locals in Penha were "altered".

Through a message through digital channels, he asserted that particular individuals had been removed of military-style attire that he stated they possessed "in order to shift blame onto the police".

A police official representing security forces further reported that military attire, vests, and weapons" were taken away from the victims and showed footage apparently demonstrating a person cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse