The casualties continued piling up - reporter shares fatal Rio police raid

The photographer

An eyewitness who documented the results of a massive law enforcement action in the metropolitan area has recounted how community members returned with badly injured victims of the deceased individuals.

The victims "kept piling up: the count kept increasing", the eyewitness reported. They included those of police officers.

One of the bodies had been decapitated - additional victims were "severely damaged", he said. Many also had what he described as knife injuries.

Over 120 individuals were fatally injured in the Tuesday operation on a criminal gang - the bloodiest action Rio has experienced.

The eyewitness explained that he was first alerted to the raid early on Tuesday by residents of the Alemão neighbourhood, who reached out telling him gunfire had erupted.

The photographer made his way to a local medical facility, where the bodies were being brought.

The eyewitness reported that security forces prevented journalists from entering the operation zone, where the police action were occurring.

"Police officers established a perimeter and declared: 'Journalists are not allowed to pass'."

However, the photographer, who grew up in the community, explained he managed to make his way past the security perimeter, where he continued until dawn.

He reported that Tuesday night, community members commenced searching the mountainous area that separates Penha from the adjacent Alemão area for family members whose whereabouts were unknown after the operation.

Local people of the Penha neighbourhood organized the discovered victims in an open area - the documented evidence reveal the response of the gathered crowd.

"The harsh reality of the situation impacted me a lot: the pain of the families, parents losing consciousness, expectant spouses, sobbing, furious relatives," the photographer recalled.

Bruno Itan

The governor of Rio state declared that the extensive law enforcement effort with approximately 2,500 officers was aimed at halting a criminal group referred to as Red Command from growing their influence.

Initially, the Rio state government stated that "60 suspects plus four law enforcement personnel" had been killed during the action.

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

The public legal service, that gives legal support to disadvantaged individuals, has put the overall count of people killed as 132.

Per investigative findings, the criminal organization stands as the sole illegal faction that recently has been able to increase its control throughout Rio state.

It is generally regarded as a major illegal faction in Brazil, in company with another major gang, with a background dating back more than 50 years.

Based on Brazilian journalist an expert, who has been covering criminal activity in the city for years, the gang "functions as a network" with local criminal leaders forming part of the gang and becoming "commercial associates".

The organization focuses mainly on narcotics distribution, while also dealing in firearms, valuable minerals, energy resources, liquor cigarettes.

Per law enforcement statements, organization members possess significant weaponry and officials reported that throughout the operation, they encountered resistance via weaponized unmanned aircraft.

The state leader of the region, the political leader, characterized gang affiliates as criminal extremists and referred to the law enforcement personnel fatally injured in the action as courageous individuals.

However, the count of casualties in the security action has received condemnation from international human rights authorities expressing they felt "horrified".

At a news conference on Wednesday, Governor Castro supported law enforcement.

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

He further explained that the circumstances had escalated as the individuals had retaliated: "It occurred of the retaliation they carried out and the overwhelming response from the gang members."

The governor also said that the victims shown by residents in Penha had been "manipulated".

Via a statement on online platforms, he claimed that particular individuals had been removed of tactical gear that he stated they possessed "in order to shift blame toward law enforcement".

A police official from the police department also said that tactical gear, body armor, and firearms" had been removed from the bodies and presented video appearing to show an individual cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse