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Bruno Itan

An eyewitness who observed the consequences of a massive Brazilian police operation in Rio de Janeiro has reported how local people returned with badly injured victims of those who had died.

The victims "continued arriving: the count kept increasing", the photographer stated. Among them were those of police officers.

A particular victim was found without a head - others were "totally disfigured", he explained. Many also had what appeared to be blade trauma.

In excess of 120 victims were killed during Tuesday's raid on a criminal gang - the deadliest such raid the municipality has seen.

Bruno Itan explained that residents first notified him concerning the action early on Tuesday by residents living in Alemão, who reached out alerting him an armed confrontation was occurring.

The eyewitness went to the healthcare center, where the casualties were arriving.

The eyewitness reported that security forces stopped members of the press from entering the operation zone, where the operation was under way.

"Law enforcement personnel formed a line and declared: 'The press cannot proceed beyond this point'."

But Itan, who grew up in that neighborhood, stated he succeeded to make his way into the restricted zone, where he remained through the night.

He reported that evening, area inhabitants commenced searching the mountainous area that borders Penha from the neighboring Alemão community for family members who had been missing since the police raid.

Community members from the Penha area arranged the recovered bodies in an open area - and Itan's photos reveal the reaction of those present.

"The violence of the situation affected me profoundly: the grief of the families, parents losing consciousness, expectant spouses, sobbing, angry family members," the reporter recounted.

The eyewitness

The state leader of the region declared that the large-scale security action with approximately 2,500 law enforcement members was designed to preventing a criminal group referred to as Comando Vermelho from increasing their control.

Initially, state authorities claimed that sixty individuals plus four law enforcement personnel" had been killed in the operation.

They have since said that their "preliminary" count indicates that 117 individuals have been killed.

The public legal service, that offers legal help to the poor, has put the overall count of people killed as 132.

Based on expert analysis, Red Command is the only criminal group that recently has been able to expand its territory across the region.

It is generally regarded among the biggest criminal organizations nationally, together with First Capital Command, with a background extending half a century.

According to correspondent a specialist, who has long reported on illegal operations in Rio for years, Red Command "functions as a network" with area gang leaders joining the organization and serving as "business partners".

The organization engages primarily in drug trafficking, but also smuggles firearms, valuable minerals, petroleum products, alcohol cigarettes.

Based on official reports, criminal affiliates possess significant weaponry and authorities stated that during the raid, they encountered resistance using drone-delivered explosives.

The official of Rio state, Cláudio Castro, described organization participants as criminal extremists and described the security forces fatally injured in the action as brave public servants.

Nevertheless, the total of fatalities in the security action has come in for criticism with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights expressing they felt "shocked".

At a news conference the following day, Governor Castro justified security actions.

"There was no objective to cause fatalities. We aimed to take suspects into custody without harm," he said.

He further explained that the situation intensified due to the alleged criminals fought back: "It was a consequence of the resistance they implemented and the disproportionate use of force by the illegal group."

The state leader also said that the casualties displayed by locals in the area had been "tampered with".

Through a message through digital channels, he asserted that certain victims had been stripped of military-style attire he said they had been wearing "in order to shift blame onto the police".

A law enforcement representative of Rio's civil police force also said that military attire, body armor, and arms" were taken away from the victims and displayed evidence appearing to show a man removing tactical gear {off a corpse