🔗 Share this article The victims kept arriving - reporter shares lethal Rio security action The eyewitness Numerous victims were laid out in a public space in Penha following the most lethal operation Rio has ever seen A photographer who observed the results of a large-scale security raid in the metropolitan area has recounted how community members returned with disfigured remains of the deceased individuals. The bodies "continued arriving: the numbers kept rising", the eyewitness described. They included those of police officers. One individual was discovered headless - additional victims were "totally disfigured", he said. Many also had evidence of knife injuries. Over 120 individuals lost their lives during the security action on a criminal gang - the bloodiest action Rio has experienced. In excess of 100 suspects were detained in connection with the police action The eyewitness explained that residents first notified him about the operation Tuesday morning by local people from the Alemão area, who reached out alerting him an armed confrontation was occurring. The photographer went to a local medical facility, where the casualties were coming in. The eyewitness reported that security forces stopped members of the press from accessing the affected area, where the security measures were occurring. "Law enforcement personnel established a perimeter and said: 'The press cannot proceed beyond this point'." Nevertheless, the eyewitness, who was raised in the area, stated he was able to gain access past the security perimeter, where he stayed until dawn. He described that evening, local residents started looking the mountainous area that borders the Penha neighborhood from the adjacent Alemão area for loved ones who were unaccounted for following the security action. Residents living in Penha organized the recovered bodies in an open area - the documented evidence display the emotions of those present. "The harsh reality of the situation affected me deeply: the sorrow of relatives, parents losing consciousness, women carrying children, sobbing, angry family members," the eyewitness remembered. Bruno Itan There was trauma in the neighborhood as locals retrieved more and more bodies from the surrounding area The governor of the state stated that the massive police operation with approximately 2,500 security personnel was intended to stopping a criminal group called Comando Vermelho from growing their influence. Originally, local officials maintained that sixty individuals along with four officers" were fatally injured in the operation. Officials subsequently stated that their "preliminary" count suggests that 117 individuals were fatally injured. The public legal service, which provides legal assistance to disadvantaged individuals, has calculated the final tally of fatalities as 132. Per investigative findings, the criminal organization is the only criminal group which in recent years has succeeded to make territorial gains throughout Rio state. It is widely considered among the biggest criminal organizations in the country, alongside another major gang, featuring a timeline extending half a century. According to reporter a specialist, who has been covering illegal operations in Rio extensively, the criminal organization "works as a system" with neighborhood bosses affiliating with the group and acting as "commercial associates". The organization concentrates largely on narcotics distribution, while also dealing in weapons, precious metals, energy resources, liquor cigarettes. Based on official reports, gang members possess significant weaponry and police said that throughout the operation, they came under attack via weaponized unmanned aircraft. The official of the state, the political leader, described organization participants as drug terrorists and referred to the law enforcement personnel fatally injured in the action as "heroes". Nevertheless, the total of fatalities in the operation has faced scrutiny from UN human rights officials saying it was "horrified". At a news conference on Wednesday, Governor Castro supported law enforcement. "There was no objective to cause fatalities. We aimed to arrest them all alive," he stated. He further explained that the circumstances worsened as the individuals resisted aggressively: "It was a consequence of the retaliation they carried out and the disproportionate use of force from the gang members." The state leader also said that the bodies shown by residents in the neighborhood had been "manipulated". Via a statement on online platforms, he said that particular individuals had been removed of tactical gear he said they had been wearing "in order to shift blame to security forces". A police official of Rio's civil police force additionally stated that tactical gear, vests, and weapons" were taken away from the casualties and presented video apparently demonstrating a man stripping military attire {off a corpse