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The eyewitness

A photographer who documented the consequences of a massive law enforcement action in Rio de Janeiro has recounted how local people came back with mutilated bodies of the deceased individuals.

The victims "kept piling up: the numbers kept rising", Bruno Itan stated. They included law enforcement personnel.

One of the bodies was discovered headless - while others appeared "severely damaged", he said. Many also had what he described as stab wounds.

In excess of 120 victims were killed during Tuesday's raid against a criminal group - the bloodiest action Rio has experienced.

Bruno Itan stated that residents first notified him about the operation in the early hours by local people of the Alemão neighbourhood, who sent him messages informing him gunfire had erupted.

The eyewitness traveled to the Getúlio Vargas hospital, where the victims were being brought.

The eyewitness reported that security forces blocked media personnel from entering the affected area, where the security measures were occurring.

"Security forces established a perimeter and said: 'Media representatives are not allowed to pass'."

Nevertheless, the eyewitness, who grew up in that neighborhood, reported he was able to enter into the restricted zone, where he remained until the next morning.

He reported during the night, area inhabitants started looking the hillside which divides Penha from the neighboring Alemão community for loved ones who were unaccounted for after the operation.

Residents of the Penha neighbourhood organized the recovered bodies in a public space - the photographer's images reveal the reaction of the people there.

"The brutality of the situation shook me profoundly: the pain of loved ones, mothers fainting, expectant spouses, weeping, outraged parents," the eyewitness remembered.

The photographer

The state leader of Rio state announced that the large-scale security action deploying about 2,500 law enforcement members was intended to preventing a criminal group known as Comando Vermelho from expanding its territory.

At first, local officials stated that sixty alleged criminals plus four law enforcement personnel" were fatally injured during the action.

They have since said that early calculations suggests that 117 alleged criminals were fatally injured.

Rio's public defender's office, which provides legal assistance to disadvantaged individuals, has calculated the final tally of fatalities at 132.

Per investigative findings, Red Command stands as the sole illegal faction that in the past few years has managed to expand its territory throughout Rio state.

It is generally regarded one of the two largest gangs nationally, in company with another major gang, featuring a timeline spanning over five decades.

Based on Brazilian journalist a specialist, who has been covering crime in Rio for years, Red Command "functions as a network" with local criminal leaders joining the organization and acting as "operational allies".

The organization concentrates largely on illegal drug trade, additionally trafficking guns, valuable minerals, petroleum products, alcohol smoking products.

According to the authorities, organization members possess significant weaponry and officials reported that throughout the operation, they came under attack via weaponized unmanned aircraft.

The official of the region, Cláudio Castro, characterized gang affiliates as drug terrorists and referred to the security forces fatally injured in the action as courageous individuals.

Nevertheless, the total of casualties in the operation has received condemnation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights saying it was "horrified".

At a news conference the following day, the official supported law enforcement.

"We did not plan to kill anyone. We aimed to detain everyone safely," he declared.

He added that the situation had escalated due to the alleged criminals resisted aggressively: "It resulted of the resistance they carried out and the overwhelming response by those criminals."

The governor additionally stated that the bodies shown by residents in the area had been "manipulated".

In a post on social media, he asserted that particular individuals had been taken of tactical gear that he stated they possessed "to transfer accusation toward law enforcement".

A law enforcement representative of Rio's civil police force additionally stated that military attire, body armor, and firearms" were taken away from the victims and presented video appearing to show an individual stripping military attire {off a corpse