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The eyewitness

A reporter who witnessed the results of an extensive law enforcement action in Rio de Janeiro has described how community members came back with disfigured remains of those who had died.

The casualties "kept piling up: the count kept increasing", the eyewitness stated. Among them were security forces.

One individual had been decapitated - additional victims were "severely damaged", he reported. Many also had evidence of knife injuries.

More than 120 people were fatally injured during the security action targeting an illegal organization - the bloodiest action in the city.

The eyewitness reported that he was first alerted to the raid Tuesday morning by residents of the Alemão neighbourhood, who sent him messages alerting him there was a shoot-out.

The eyewitness made his way to a local medical facility, where the bodies were arriving.

The photographer stated that the police blocked media personnel from going into the affected area, where the operation were occurring.

"Security forces created a barrier and declared: 'Media representatives cannot proceed beyond this point'."

However, the photographer, who grew up in that neighborhood, explained he succeeded to gain access into the cordoned-off area, where he stayed through the night.

He explained that Tuesday night, community members started looking the elevated terrain that separates the Penha neighborhood from the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for family members who were unaccounted for since the police raid.

Residents of the Penha neighbourhood arranged the discovered victims in a public space - the documented evidence reveal the reaction of the people there.

"The harsh reality of it all affected me deeply: the sorrow of relatives, mothers fainting, expectant spouses, crying, furious relatives," the photographer recalled.

Bruno Itan

The governor of Rio state declared that the massive police operation with approximately 2,500 officers was designed to preventing a criminal group referred to as the criminal faction from increasing their control.

Originally, local officials claimed that "60 suspects along with four officers" were fatally injured during the action.

They have since said that early calculations indicates that 117 "suspects" have been killed.

Rio's public defender's office, which provides legal assistance to the poor, has calculated the final tally of people killed to be 132.

According to researchers, Red Command represents the unique criminal entity which in recent years has been able to expand its territory across the region.

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

Based on correspondent Rafael Soares, who has long reported on criminal activity in the city for years, Red Command "functions as a network" with neighborhood bosses forming part of the gang and becoming "business partners".

The criminal group focuses mainly on narcotics distribution, but also smuggles weapons, valuable minerals, fuel, liquor and tobacco.

According to the authorities, organization members possess significant weaponry and authorities stated that while the action was underway, they faced assaults using drone-delivered explosives.

The official of the state, Cláudio Castro, characterized organization participants as criminal extremists and described the security forces who died during the operation as brave public servants.

However, the count of people killed in the security action 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 the next day, the state leader justified security actions.

"It wasn't our intention to cause fatalities. We aimed to take suspects into custody without harm," he declared.

He continued that the events intensified because the suspects had retaliated: "It occurred of the counterattack they carried out and the disproportionate use of force by those criminals."

The official also said that the victims shown by residents in the neighborhood had been "manipulated".

Through a message on social media, he said that particular individuals had been taken of military-style attire that he stated they possessed "to redirect responsibility to security forces".

A police official of Rio's civil police force also said that "camouflage clothing, vests, and weapons" were stripped from the casualties and presented video appearing to show a person cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse