The casualties continued piling up - eyewitness describes lethal Rio law enforcement operation

The eyewitness

A reporter who observed the consequences of an extensive law enforcement action in the Brazilian city has recounted how community members returned with badly injured victims of people who lost their lives.

The casualties "kept coming: the numbers kept rising", the eyewitness stated. They included security forces.

One individual was discovered headless - while others appeared "completely mutilated", he reported. Several bodies showed what appeared to be blade trauma.

In excess of 120 victims lost their lives during the security action on a criminal gang - the most lethal operation in the city.

Bruno Itan explained that he was first alerted concerning the action Tuesday morning by community members from the Alemão area, who sent him messages informing him an armed confrontation was occurring.

The reporter traveled to a local medical facility, where the casualties were coming in.

The eyewitness reported that law enforcement blocked media personnel from accessing the affected area, where the police action was under way.

"Law enforcement personnel formed a line and said: 'Journalists cannot proceed beyond this point'."

However, the photographer, who grew up in that neighborhood, reported he succeeded to gain access past the security perimeter, where he remained through the night.

He explained during the night, local residents started looking the elevated terrain that separates the Penha neighborhood from the adjacent Alemão area for family members who had been missing after the operation.

Community members living in Penha organized the located casualties in a public space - the photographer's images reveal the reaction of the gathered crowd.

"The harsh reality of what occurred affected me deeply: the grief of the families, parents losing consciousness, expectant spouses, weeping, angry family members," the eyewitness remembered.

The photographer

The official of the region announced that the massive police operation with approximately 2,500 law enforcement members was intended to halting an illegal organization referred to as Red Command from increasing their control.

Initially, the Rio state government maintained that sixty individuals and four police officers" lost their lives in the raid.

They have since said that initial estimates indicates that 117 "suspects" were fatally injured.

Rio's public defender's office, which provides legal assistance to low-income residents, has calculated the final tally of casualties to be 132.

Per investigative findings, Red Command represents the unique criminal entity that recently has succeeded to increase its control across the region.

Experts commonly view among the biggest criminal organizations in Brazil, in company with First Capital Command, with a background spanning over five decades.

Based on reporter an expert, who has long reported on criminal activity in the city over many years, the gang "functions as a network" with area gang leaders forming part of the gang and serving as "commercial associates".

The organization concentrates largely on illegal drug trade, additionally trafficking guns, gold, fuel, alcohol and tobacco.

Based on official reports, criminal affiliates possess significant weaponry and authorities stated that while the action was underway, they faced assaults via weaponized unmanned aircraft.

The official of Rio state, Cláudio Castro, described gang affiliates as "narcoterrorists" and referred to the law enforcement personnel fatally injured in the action as "heroes".

However, the count of fatalities in the operation has come in for criticism from UN human rights officials saying it was "appalled".

In a media appearance the following day, Governor Castro supported law enforcement.

"It wasn't our intention to result in deaths. We wanted to detain everyone safely," he stated.

He further explained that the situation had escalated as the individuals had retaliated: "It was a consequence of the resistance they implemented and the excessive violence by those criminals."

The state leader also said that the casualties presented by community members in Penha had been "manipulated".

In a post through digital channels, he claimed that particular individuals had been taken of the camouflage clothing that he stated they possessed "to redirect responsibility to security forces".

A law enforcement representative of Rio's civil police force also said that "camouflage clothing, body armor, and arms" were stripped from the casualties and displayed evidence appearing to show a person cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse