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The photographer

A reporter who documented the aftermath of a large-scale security raid in Rio de Janeiro has described how residents came back with disfigured remains of the deceased individuals.

The victims "continued arriving: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45...", the photographer stated. The total contained those of police officers.

A particular victim had been decapitated - additional victims were "totally disfigured", he reported. Numerous victims displayed what he described as knife injuries.

In excess of 120 victims were killed during Tuesday's raid against a criminal group - the most lethal operation Rio has experienced.

The eyewitness stated that residents first notified him concerning the action in the early hours by local people from the Alemão area, who sent him messages alerting him there was a shoot-out.

The eyewitness made his way to the Getúlio Vargas hospital, where the casualties were coming in.

Itan explained that security forces blocked media personnel from going into the Penha neighborhood, where the operation was under way.

"Security forces formed a line and announced: 'Media representatives are not allowed to pass'."

But Itan, who was raised in that neighborhood, reported he succeeded to enter past the security perimeter, where he stayed through the night.

He explained that Tuesday night, area inhabitants began to search the hillside that separates Penha from the adjacent Alemão area for family members whose whereabouts were unknown after the operation.

Community members living in Penha organized the discovered victims in a public space - the photographer's images display the response of the people there.

"The harsh reality of what occurred affected me a lot: the pain of the families, women collapsing, expectant spouses, sobbing, angry family members," the photographer recalled.

The photographer

The governor of the state stated that the large-scale security action with approximately 2,500 officers was intended to preventing an illegal organization called the criminal faction from expanding its territory.

Originally, the Rio state government stated that sixty alleged criminals and four police officers" were fatally injured in the operation.

Authorities later reported that early calculations shows that 117 alleged criminals lost their lives.

Rio's public defender's office, which provides legal assistance to the poor, has estimated the total number of fatalities as 132.

Per investigative findings, the criminal organization stands as the sole illegal faction that in the past few years has been able to make territorial gains throughout Rio state.

It is widely considered among the biggest criminal organizations in Brazil, alongside another major gang, featuring a timeline dating back more than 50 years.

Per correspondent an expert, with extensive experience documenting illegal operations in Rio extensively, the criminal organization "functions as a network" with neighborhood bosses forming part of the gang and acting as "commercial associates".

The gang concentrates largely on illegal drug trade, additionally trafficking guns, gold, petroleum products, beverages smoking products.

Based on official reports, criminal affiliates have substantial firearms and authorities stated that during the raid, they encountered resistance from explosive-laden drones.

The state leader of the state, Cláudio Castro, described Red Command members as "narcoterrorists" and referred to the law enforcement personnel killed in the raid as brave public servants.

But the number of fatalities in the security action has come in for criticism with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights stating they were "shocked".

At a news conference on Wednesday, the official defended the police force.

"It wasn't our intention to result in deaths. We intended to arrest them all alive," he declared.

He continued that the circumstances had escalated as the individuals fought back: "It resulted of the resistance they implemented and the excessive violence from the gang members."

The official further reported that the casualties shown by residents in the area were "altered".

In a post on online platforms, he claimed that some of them had been stripped of the camouflage clothing that he stated they possessed "in order to shift blame toward law enforcement".

Felipe Curi of Rio's civil police force additionally stated that "camouflage clothing, protective equipment, and weapons" were stripped from the victims and presented video seemingly depicting an individual stripping military attire {off a corpse