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The eyewitness

A reporter who documented the consequences of a massive Brazilian police operation in Rio de Janeiro has recounted how residents came back with disfigured remains of people who lost their lives.

The bodies "continued arriving: the numbers kept rising", the eyewitness reported. The total contained law enforcement personnel.

A particular victim was found without a head - additional victims were "completely mutilated", he said. Many also had what he described as knife injuries.

In excess of 120 victims lost their lives during the security action on a criminal gang - the bloodiest action the municipality has seen.

Bruno Itan explained that he was first alerted about the operation Tuesday morning by local people of the Alemão neighbourhood, who contacted him alerting him an armed confrontation was occurring.

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

The photographer stated that law enforcement prevented journalists from going into the Penha neighborhood, where the police action were taking place.

"Law enforcement personnel formed a line and declared: 'Media representatives doesn't get past here'."

But Itan, who grew up in the area, reported he was able to make his way past the security perimeter, where he remained until the next morning.

He described that Tuesday night, area inhabitants commenced searching the hillside which divides the Penha neighborhood from the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for family members whose whereabouts were unknown after the operation.

Community members from the Penha area proceeded to place the located casualties in an open area - the documented evidence reveal the reaction of the gathered crowd.

"The harsh reality of the situation shook me deeply: the pain of the families, women collapsing, pregnant wives, weeping, outraged parents," the eyewitness remembered.

The eyewitness

The state leader of Rio state declared that the extensive law enforcement effort with approximately 2,500 officers was intended to stopping an illegal organization called Comando Vermelho from expanding its territory.

Initially, the Rio state government maintained that sixty alleged criminals plus four law enforcement personnel" had been killed during the action.

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

The legal assistance organization, that gives legal support to the poor, has calculated the total number of people killed at 132.

According to researchers, the gang stands as the sole illegal faction that in the past few years has been able to make territorial gains across the region.

It is generally regarded as a major illegal faction in the country, alongside First Capital Command, with a background dating back more than 50 years.

Based on reporter an expert, with extensive experience documenting crime in Rio extensively, Red Command "works as a system" with local criminal leaders forming part of the gang and acting as "business partners".

The criminal group concentrates largely on illegal drug trade, while also dealing in guns, gold, energy resources, beverages smoking products.

According to the authorities, criminal affiliates have substantial firearms and officials reported that while the action was underway, they came under attack from explosive-laden drones.

The official of Rio state, the political leader, labeled organization participants as criminal extremists and called the law enforcement personnel fatally injured in the action as "heroes".

Nevertheless, the total of people killed in the security action has faced scrutiny with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights stating they were "horrified".

In a media appearance the next day, Governor Castro justified security actions.

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

He further explained that the situation had escalated due to the alleged criminals resisted aggressively: "It occurred of the retaliation they carried out and the excessive violence from the gang members."

The governor additionally stated that the bodies shown by residents in the area had been "manipulated".

Via a statement on social media, he asserted that certain victims had been taken of military-style attire he said they had been wearing "in order to shift blame onto the police".

A law enforcement representative representing security forces also said that military attire, vests, and firearms" were stripped from the casualties and presented video apparently demonstrating an individual stripping military attire {off a corpse