🔗 Share this article The casualties continued piling up - reporter shares deadly Rio law enforcement operation The photographer Multiple casualties were arranged in a square in Penha in the wake of the bloodiest security action Rio has ever seen A photographer who observed the aftermath of a large-scale security raid in the Brazilian city has described how residents returned with disfigured remains of the deceased individuals. The victims "kept coming: the numbers kept rising", the photographer reported. The total contained those of police officers. One of the bodies had been decapitated - additional victims were "totally disfigured", he reported. Numerous victims displayed what appeared to be stab wounds. Over 120 individuals lost their lives during Tuesday's raid on a criminal gang - the bloodiest action in the city. More than 100 people were detained as part of the operation The eyewitness stated that he was first alerted concerning the action Tuesday morning by residents living in Alemão, who contacted him informing him gunfire had erupted. The reporter made his way to a local medical facility, where the bodies were coming in. The photographer stated that law enforcement prevented journalists from going into the affected area, where the security measures were occurring. "Police officers formed a line and announced: 'Media representatives cannot proceed beyond this point'." Nevertheless, the eyewitness, who was raised in the community, stated he managed to gain access into the restricted zone, where he continued through the night. He reported that evening, area inhabitants commenced searching the hillside which divides Penha from the adjacent Alemão area for loved ones whose whereabouts were unknown following the security action. Community members from the Penha area organized the discovered victims in an open area - the photographer's images show the emotions of those present. "The violence of it all impacted me a lot: the sorrow of loved ones, women collapsing, pregnant wives, crying, angry family members," the reporter recounted. The eyewitness There was trauma in the neighborhood as locals found additional victims from the adjacent terrain The governor of the state stated that the extensive law enforcement effort with approximately 2,500 law enforcement members was intended to stopping an illegal organization referred to as the criminal faction from growing their influence. Initially, the Rio state government claimed that sixty alleged criminals along with four officers" had been killed in the operation. Authorities later reported that early calculations suggests that 117 "suspects" have been killed. The legal assistance organization, which provides legal assistance to disadvantaged individuals, has put the final tally of fatalities to be 132. Per investigative findings, the gang is the only criminal group that in the past few years has managed to expand its territory throughout Rio state. Experts commonly view one of the two largest gangs in Brazil, alongside First Capital Command, featuring a timeline dating back more than 50 years. Per reporter Rafael Soares, who has long reported on crime in Rio extensively, the criminal organization "functions as a network" with local criminal leaders forming part of the gang and becoming "business partners". The organization engages primarily in illegal drug trade, but also smuggles weapons, valuable minerals, energy resources, liquor and tobacco. According to the authorities, organization members are well armed and authorities stated that while the action was underway, they came under attack using drone-delivered explosives. The state leader of Rio state, the political leader, described gang affiliates as drug terrorists and described the four police officers who died during the operation as "heroes". But the number of casualties during the raid has received condemnation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights saying it was "shocked". In a media appearance the following day, the state leader supported law enforcement. "We did not plan to kill anyone. We wanted to take suspects into custody without harm," he said. He continued that the events had escalated as the individuals fought back: "It resulted of the retaliation they carried out and the disproportionate use of force by those criminals." The official additionally stated that the casualties displayed by locals in the area had been "tampered with". In a post through digital channels, he claimed that particular individuals had been taken of the camouflage clothing that he stated they possessed "in order to shift blame onto the police". A police official from the police department additionally stated that military attire, body armor, and weapons" had been removed from the casualties and showed footage seemingly depicting an individual removing tactical gear {off a corpse