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The photographer

A reporter who documented the results of a large-scale law enforcement action in the Brazilian city has described how local people came back with disfigured remains of those who had died.

The casualties "continued arriving: the numbers kept rising", the eyewitness reported. They included those of police officers.

One individual was discovered headless - additional victims were "totally disfigured", he explained. Numerous victims displayed evidence of knife injuries.

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

The eyewitness reported that he was first alerted about the operation early on Tuesday by community members living in Alemão, who sent him messages telling him gunfire had erupted.

The reporter made his way to the Getúlio Vargas hospital, where the bodies were being brought.

The photographer stated that law enforcement stopped members of the press from accessing the Penha neighborhood, where the operation was under way.

"Law enforcement personnel created a barrier and declared: 'The press doesn't get past here'."

But Itan, who grew up in the community, explained he succeeded to make his way into the cordoned-off area, where he remained through the night.

He described that Tuesday night, area inhabitants commenced searching the elevated terrain that borders the Penha neighborhood from the adjacent Alemão area for relatives who had been missing after the operation.

Local people of the Penha neighbourhood organized the recovered bodies in a public space - the documented evidence display the emotions of the people there.

"The brutality of the situation impacted me deeply: the sorrow of the families, women collapsing, expectant spouses, weeping, outraged parents," the photographer recalled.

The eyewitness

The state leader of the region declared that the extensive law enforcement effort with approximately 2,500 officers was designed to preventing a gang referred to as the criminal faction from expanding its territory.

Initially, local officials maintained that sixty individuals along with four officers" were fatally injured in the raid.

They have since said that early calculations suggests that 117 alleged criminals were fatally injured.

Rio's public defender's office, that offers legal help to the poor, has estimated the overall count of people killed to be 132.

Based on expert analysis, the criminal organization stands as the sole illegal faction that in the past few years has managed to make territorial gains in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

It is generally regarded among the biggest criminal organizations in the country, in company with another major gang, with a background extending half a century.

Based on Brazilian journalist an expert, who has long reported on crime in Rio extensively, the criminal organization "works as a system" with area gang leaders forming part of the gang and becoming "commercial associates".

The gang focuses mainly on narcotics distribution, but also smuggles weapons, precious metals, petroleum products, liquor 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 official of the state, the government representative, labeled gang affiliates as criminal extremists and called the law enforcement personnel who died during the operation as brave public servants.

However, the count of fatalities during the raid has come in for criticism from international human rights authorities stating they were "shocked".

During a press briefing the next day, the official defended the police force.

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

He further explained that the circumstances had escalated because the suspects had retaliated: "It was a consequence of the retaliation they implemented and the disproportionate use of force by the illegal group."

The official additionally stated that the casualties displayed by locals in the area had been "manipulated".

Via a statement on social media, he said that certain victims had been removed of military-style attire that he stated they possessed "to transfer accusation to security forces".

Felipe Curi from the police department additionally stated that military attire, vests, and weapons" had been removed from the victims and presented video appearing to show a man stripping military attire {off a corpse