The casualties continued piling up - reporter shares deadly Rio law enforcement operation

The eyewitness

A photographer who documented the aftermath of a large-scale Brazilian police operation in the metropolitan area has reported how local people came back with badly injured victims of the deceased individuals.

The bodies "kept piling up: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45...", the photographer reported. The total contained security forces.

One of the bodies was found without a head - while others appeared "severely damaged", he explained. Several bodies showed what appeared to be stab wounds.

More than 120 people were fatally injured during Tuesday's raid on a criminal gang - the bloodiest action the municipality has seen.

The eyewitness reported that residents first notified him about the operation in the early hours by local people from the Alemão area, who reached out informing him there was a shoot-out.

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

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

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

Nevertheless, the eyewitness, who spent his childhood in the area, stated he managed to enter into the restricted zone, where he remained through the night.

He explained that Tuesday night, area inhabitants began to search the hillside that separates Penha from the neighboring Alemão community for loved ones whose whereabouts were unknown following the security action.

Residents of the Penha neighbourhood proceeded to place the recovered bodies in an open area - and Itan's photos show the reaction of the people there.

"The harsh reality of it all affected me deeply: the pain of loved ones, parents losing consciousness, expectant spouses, sobbing, furious relatives," the eyewitness remembered.

Bruno Itan

The governor of Rio state stated that the extensive law enforcement effort with approximately 2,500 officers was intended to stopping a criminal group known as Comando Vermelho from expanding its territory.

At first, state authorities maintained that sixty individuals and four police officers" were fatally injured during the action.

Authorities later reported that initial estimates indicates that 117 individuals lost their lives.

The legal assistance organization, that gives legal support to disadvantaged individuals, has calculated the final tally of fatalities to be 132.

According to researchers, the criminal organization is the only criminal group which in recent years has been able to make territorial gains throughout Rio state.

Experts commonly view as a major illegal faction in Brazil, together with a rival criminal group, featuring a timeline extending half a century.

Based on correspondent a specialist, who has long reported on criminal activity in the city over many years, the criminal organization "operates like a franchise" with area gang leaders forming part of the gang and serving as "commercial associates".

The organization engages primarily in drug trafficking, additionally trafficking weapons, valuable minerals, petroleum products, beverages cigarettes.

Based on official reports, gang members possess significant weaponry and authorities stated that while the action was underway, they faced assaults from explosive-laden drones.

The state leader of the state, Cláudio Castro, characterized Red Command members as drug terrorists and called the four police officers fatally injured in the action as courageous individuals.

However, the count of people killed in the security action has come in for criticism from international human rights authorities stating they were "horrified".

At a news conference on Wednesday, the state leader supported law enforcement.

"We did not plan to cause fatalities. We intended to detain everyone safely," he declared.

He continued that the circumstances intensified due to the alleged criminals fought back: "It resulted of the counterattack they implemented and the overwhelming response from the gang members."

The official further reported that the victims presented by community members in Penha had been "tampered with".

Through a message through digital channels, he claimed that certain victims had been stripped of the camouflage clothing he said they had been wearing "in order to shift blame onto the police".

A police official of Rio's civil police force further reported that "camouflage clothing, protective equipment, and firearms" were taken away from the casualties and presented video apparently demonstrating an individual cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse