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The eyewitness

A photographer who observed the consequences of a massive law enforcement action in the metropolitan area has reported how local people came back with mutilated bodies of the deceased individuals.

The victims "kept coming: the numbers kept rising", the eyewitness described. The total contained security forces.

A particular victim was found without a head - while others appeared "severely damaged", he reported. Many also had evidence of blade trauma.

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

The eyewitness reported that he was first alerted concerning the action Tuesday morning by community members of the Alemão neighbourhood, who contacted him telling him gunfire had erupted.

The eyewitness traveled to the Getúlio Vargas hospital, where the victims were coming in.

The photographer stated that the police stopped members of the press from entering the operation zone, where the police action were occurring.

"Police officers formed a line and said: 'Journalists are not allowed to pass'."

Nevertheless, the eyewitness, who grew up in the community, reported he managed to make his way into the cordoned-off area, where he stayed until the next morning.

He explained during the night, local residents commenced searching the hillside that borders the community of Penha and the neighboring Alemão community for loved ones who were unaccounted for since the police raid.

Community members from the Penha area organized the discovered victims in a square - the photographer's images display the reaction of those present.

"The brutality of what occurred affected me a lot: the pain of relatives, women collapsing, pregnant wives, crying, angry family members," the eyewitness remembered.

The eyewitness

The official of the region announced that the extensive law enforcement effort with approximately 2,500 security personnel was intended to halting a criminal group referred to as Comando Vermelho from growing their influence.

At first, the Rio state government claimed that sixty individuals along with four officers" had been killed during the action.

Officials subsequently stated that initial estimates shows that 117 "suspects" were fatally injured.

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

Based on expert analysis, Red Command is the only criminal group that recently has succeeded to make territorial gains in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

It is generally regarded as a major illegal faction nationally, together with another major gang, featuring a timeline spanning over five decades.

Based on correspondent an expert, who has long reported on crime in Rio over many years, Red Command "operates like a franchise" with neighborhood bosses forming part of the gang and serving as "business partners".

The criminal group engages primarily in narcotics distribution, while also dealing in guns, gold, petroleum products, liquor and tobacco.

Per law enforcement statements, organization members are well armed and officials reported that throughout the operation, they came under attack using drone-delivered explosives.

The governor of Rio state, the government representative, characterized Red Command members as drug terrorists and called the four police officers who died during the operation as "heroes".

However, the count of fatalities in the operation has come in for criticism with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights expressing they felt "horrified".

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

"We did not plan to kill anyone. We aimed to arrest them all alive," he stated.

He added that the circumstances intensified as the individuals had retaliated: "It occurred of the retaliation they carried out and the overwhelming response by those criminals."

The state leader also said that the victims displayed by locals in Penha had been "manipulated".

In a post through digital channels, he claimed that particular individuals had been taken of military-style attire he said they had been wearing "to transfer accusation onto the police".

A police official representing security forces further reported that tactical gear, vests, and arms" were taken away from the victims and showed footage seemingly depicting a man cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse