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Bruno Itan

A photographer who observed the results of a large-scale law enforcement action in Rio de Janeiro has reported how community members returned with mutilated bodies of people who lost their lives.

The victims "kept piling up: the numbers kept rising", the eyewitness stated. They included those of police officers.

One individual was found without a head - additional victims were "severely damaged", he said. Numerous victims displayed evidence of stab wounds.

Over 120 individuals were killed during Tuesday's raid against a criminal group - the deadliest such raid in the city.

The eyewitness reported that he was first alerted concerning the action Tuesday morning by local people living in Alemão, who contacted him alerting him gunfire had erupted.

The photographer made his way to a local medical facility, where the casualties were coming in.

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

"Police officers formed a line and said: 'Media representatives are not allowed to pass'."

But Itan, who grew up in that neighborhood, explained he managed to enter into the restricted zone, where he continued until dawn.

He explained during the night, area inhabitants commenced searching the mountainous area that separates Penha from the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for family members whose whereabouts were unknown following the security action.

Community members from the Penha area organized the located casualties in an open area - and Itan's photos display the reaction of the people there.

"The violence of it all affected me a lot: the pain of the families, mothers fainting, expectant spouses, crying, furious relatives," the eyewitness remembered.

The eyewitness

The state leader of the state stated that the large-scale security action involving around 2,500 law enforcement members was intended to preventing an illegal organization known as the criminal faction from growing their influence.

Initially, the Rio state government stated that sixty individuals plus four law enforcement personnel" lost their lives during the action.

Authorities later reported that early calculations shows that 117 individuals have been killed.

The legal assistance organization, which provides legal assistance to low-income residents, has put the final tally of fatalities as 132.

According to researchers, Red Command is the only criminal group which in recent years has succeeded to expand its territory in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

It is generally regarded as a major illegal faction in Brazil, alongside a rival criminal group, and has a history extending half a century.

According to reporter an expert, with extensive experience documenting illegal operations in Rio extensively, Red Command "functions as a network" with neighborhood bosses forming part of the gang and acting as "commercial associates".

The criminal group focuses mainly on drug trafficking, additionally trafficking firearms, valuable minerals, petroleum products, alcohol cigarettes.

Per law enforcement statements, gang members have substantial firearms and authorities stated that during the raid, they encountered resistance from explosive-laden drones.

The official of Rio state, the government representative, labeled gang affiliates as "narcoterrorists" and referred to the four police officers fatally injured in the action as brave public servants.

But the number of casualties in the operation has come in for criticism from UN human rights officials expressing they felt "horrified".

During a press briefing the following day, the state leader defended the police force.

"We did not plan to kill anyone. We intended to arrest them all alive," he declared.

He added that the events intensified because the suspects had retaliated: "It resulted of the counterattack they executed and the excessive violence by the illegal group."

The official also said that the casualties presented by community members in the neighborhood were "altered".

Via a statement on social media, he asserted that some of them had been removed of military-style attire that he stated they possessed "in order to shift blame onto the police".

A law enforcement representative representing security forces also said that "camouflage clothing, body armor, and arms" had been removed from the victims and presented video appearing to show a person cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse