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The eyewitness

A reporter who documented the consequences of an extensive law enforcement action in the Brazilian city has described how local people came back with disfigured remains of people who lost their lives.

The victims "continued arriving: the count kept increasing", Bruno Itan reported. The total contained law enforcement personnel.

One of the bodies was found without a head - while others appeared "severely damaged", he reported. Many also had what he described as stab wounds.

In excess of 120 victims lost their lives during the security action targeting an illegal organization - the deadliest such raid in the city.

Bruno Itan reported that he initially learned to the raid in the early hours by residents from the Alemão area, who sent him messages telling him there was a shoot-out.

The reporter went to a local medical facility, where the victims were being brought.

The eyewitness reported that security forces stopped members of the press from going into the affected area, where the operation was under way.

"Law enforcement personnel created a barrier and declared: 'Journalists are not allowed to pass'."

Nevertheless, the eyewitness, who grew up in the community, stated he was able to gain access into the restricted zone, where he stayed until dawn.

He reported that Tuesday night, area inhabitants started looking the hillside that separates the Penha neighborhood from the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for relatives whose whereabouts were unknown following the security action.

Community members from the Penha area proceeded to place the located casualties in a public space - the documented evidence reveal the reaction of the gathered crowd.

"The violence of what occurred impacted me deeply: the pain of the families, mothers fainting, pregnant wives, crying, angry family members," the reporter recounted.

The eyewitness

The state leader of the state announced that the large-scale security action involving around 2,500 security personnel was aimed at halting an illegal organization called the criminal faction from growing their influence.

At first, the Rio state government claimed that sixty alleged criminals and four police officers" were fatally injured in the raid.

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

Rio's public defender's office, which provides legal assistance to the poor, has put the final tally of fatalities at 132.

According to researchers, the criminal organization stands as the sole illegal faction that recently has been able to expand its territory in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

Experts commonly view as a major illegal faction in Brazil, in company with another major gang, and has a history extending half a century.

According to Brazilian journalist a specialist, who has been covering criminal activity in the city for years, the gang "operates like a franchise" with neighborhood bosses affiliating with the group and acting as "operational allies".

The organization focuses mainly on drug trafficking, while also dealing in firearms, valuable minerals, energy resources, liquor smoking products.

Per law enforcement statements, organization members have substantial firearms and officials reported that during the raid, they came under attack via weaponized unmanned aircraft.

The state leader of Rio state, the political leader, described Red Command members as drug terrorists and called the law enforcement personnel who died during the operation as "heroes".

But the number of fatalities in the operation has come in for criticism with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights saying it was "appalled".

At a news conference on Wednesday, the official justified security actions.

"There was no objective to kill anyone. We aimed to detain everyone safely," he said.

He continued that the circumstances had escalated because the suspects fought back: "It was a consequence of the counterattack they implemented and the overwhelming response by those criminals."

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

Via a statement through digital channels, he asserted that some of them had been taken of military-style attire which he claimed they wore "to transfer accusation onto the police".

Felipe Curi representing security forces also said that tactical gear, body armor, and weapons" were taken away from the casualties and showed footage seemingly depicting a person removing tactical gear {off a corpse