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The eyewitness

An eyewitness who observed the consequences of a large-scale Brazilian police operation in the metropolitan area has reported how residents came back with disfigured remains of the deceased individuals.

The victims "continued arriving: the numbers kept rising", the photographer described. The total contained security forces.

One individual was found without a head - while others appeared "completely mutilated", he explained. Numerous victims displayed what he described as knife injuries.

In excess of 120 victims were fatally injured in the Tuesday operation against a criminal group - the bloodiest action Rio has experienced.

The photographer stated that he was first alerted about the operation Tuesday morning by community members living in Alemão, who contacted him informing him an armed confrontation was occurring.

The photographer went to a local medical facility, where the casualties were coming in.

The photographer stated that the police prevented journalists from accessing the affected area, where the operation were occurring.

"Law enforcement personnel formed a line and declared: 'Media representatives are not allowed to pass'."

Nevertheless, the eyewitness, who spent his childhood in that neighborhood, reported he succeeded to make his way into the restricted zone, where he continued until dawn.

He explained during the night, local residents commenced searching the mountainous area that borders the Penha neighborhood from the neighboring Alemão community for family members who were unaccounted for after the operation.

Community members of the Penha neighbourhood arranged the located casualties in a square - the photographer's images reveal the reaction of the people there.

"The brutality of it all shook me deeply: the sorrow of relatives, mothers fainting, expectant spouses, crying, outraged parents," the eyewitness remembered.

The photographer

The official of the state stated that the massive police operation with approximately 2,500 law enforcement members was designed to halting an illegal organization called Comando Vermelho from expanding its territory.

At first, the Rio state government claimed that "60 suspects and four police officers" lost their lives in the operation.

Authorities later reported that initial estimates shows that 117 "suspects" were fatally injured.

The public legal service, that gives legal support to the poor, has calculated the final tally of casualties at 132.

According to researchers, the gang represents the unique criminal entity that recently has been able to expand its territory in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

It is generally regarded one of the two largest gangs nationally, in company with First Capital Command, featuring a timeline dating back more than 50 years.

Based on correspondent a specialist, who has long reported on criminal activity in the city for years, the criminal organization "functions as a network" with area gang leaders joining the organization and serving as "business partners".

The organization concentrates largely on narcotics distribution, additionally trafficking firearms, gold, energy resources, beverages smoking products.

According to the authorities, organization members are well armed and police said that throughout the operation, they came under attack via weaponized unmanned aircraft.

The governor of the region, the government representative, labeled gang affiliates as "narcoterrorists" and referred to the law enforcement personnel killed in the raid as courageous individuals.

Nevertheless, the total of fatalities during the raid has faced scrutiny with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights stating they were "appalled".

In a media appearance on Wednesday, the official justified security actions.

"There was no objective to result in deaths. We intended to take suspects into custody without harm," he said.

He further explained that the situation had escalated due to the alleged criminals resisted aggressively: "It resulted of the retaliation they executed and the overwhelming response by those criminals."

The governor also said that the bodies shown by residents in the neighborhood had been "manipulated".

Through a message through digital channels, he claimed that particular individuals had been removed of military-style attire he said they had been wearing "to redirect responsibility to security forces".

Felipe Curi from the police department also said that "camouflage clothing, body armor, and weapons" had been removed from the casualties and showed footage apparently demonstrating a man cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse