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The eyewitness

A reporter who documented the results of an extensive security raid in the Brazilian city has described how local people returned with mutilated bodies of those who had died.

The casualties "continued arriving: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45...", the eyewitness reported. Among them were security forces.

One of the bodies was discovered headless - others were "severely damaged", he reported. Numerous victims displayed what he described as blade trauma.

Over 120 individuals lost their lives in the Tuesday operation targeting an illegal organization - the deadliest such raid in the city.

Bruno Itan explained that he was first alerted about the operation early on Tuesday by community members living in Alemão, who reached out alerting him an armed confrontation was occurring.

The reporter traveled to the Getúlio Vargas hospital, where the bodies were coming in.

Itan explained that security forces stopped members of the press from accessing the affected area, where the police action were taking place.

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

But Itan, who was raised in that neighborhood, stated he was able to gain access past the security perimeter, where he remained until the next morning.

He explained that evening, local residents began to search the hillside that borders Penha from the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for family members who were unaccounted for since the police raid.

Community members of the Penha neighbourhood arranged the located casualties in a square - the documented evidence display the emotions of the gathered crowd.

"The violence of the situation affected me deeply: the sorrow of relatives, women collapsing, expectant spouses, sobbing, outraged parents," the eyewitness remembered.

The eyewitness

The governor of the region stated that the massive police operation involving around 2,500 officers was aimed at stopping an illegal organization known as Red Command from increasing their control.

Initially, state authorities claimed that sixty alleged criminals plus four law enforcement personnel" had been killed in the raid.

Authorities later reported that early calculations indicates that 117 "suspects" were fatally injured.

The legal assistance organization, which provides legal assistance to the poor, has estimated the final tally of casualties at 132.

Based on expert analysis, Red Command is the only criminal group that recently has been able to increase its control throughout Rio state.

It is generally regarded among the biggest criminal organizations in the country, together with First Capital Command, featuring a timeline extending half a century.

Based on reporter Rafael Soares, who has been covering illegal operations in Rio for years, the criminal organization "works as a system" with local criminal leaders forming part of the gang and becoming "commercial associates".

The criminal group concentrates largely on drug trafficking, but also smuggles firearms, valuable minerals, fuel, beverages smoking products.

According to the authorities, organization members possess significant weaponry and authorities stated that throughout the operation, they encountered resistance via weaponized unmanned aircraft.

The governor of Rio state, Cláudio Castro, described gang affiliates as drug terrorists and described the law enforcement personnel fatally injured in the action as "heroes".

Nevertheless, the total of people killed during the raid has come in for criticism with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights stating they were "shocked".

During a press briefing on Wednesday, Governor Castro defended the police force.

"There was no objective to cause fatalities. We aimed to take suspects into custody without harm," he said.

He further explained that the situation intensified because the suspects resisted aggressively: "It occurred of the retaliation they implemented and the overwhelming response by the illegal group."

The governor further reported that the casualties displayed by locals in the neighborhood were "altered".

Via a statement through digital channels, he said that certain victims had been taken of military-style attire that he stated they possessed "to transfer accusation to security forces".

Felipe Curi from the police department also said that military attire, body armor, and weapons" were stripped from the victims and showed footage appearing to show an individual stripping military attire {off a corpse