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Bruno Itan

A reporter who witnessed the aftermath of a massive Brazilian police operation in the Brazilian city has reported how local people returned with mutilated bodies of people who lost their lives.

The bodies "continued arriving: the count kept increasing", the photographer described. The total contained security forces.

A particular victim was found without a head - while others appeared "severely damaged", he explained. Numerous victims displayed what he described as blade trauma.

In excess of 120 victims were fatally injured in the Tuesday operation targeting an illegal organization - the most lethal operation in the city.

The photographer explained that he initially learned about the operation Tuesday morning by local people living in Alemão, who reached out alerting him an armed confrontation was occurring.

The photographer made his way to the healthcare center, where the victims were coming in.

The eyewitness reported that security forces stopped members of the press from accessing the Penha neighborhood, where the security measures were taking place.

"Security forces established a perimeter and announced: 'Media representatives cannot proceed beyond this point'."

But Itan, who was raised in the area, stated he succeeded to enter into the cordoned-off area, where he stayed until the next morning.

He reported during the night, area inhabitants started looking the mountainous area that separates the community of Penha and the neighboring Alemão community for loved ones who had been missing after the operation.

Local people of the Penha neighbourhood proceeded to place the located casualties in a public space - and Itan's photos reveal the reaction of the gathered crowd.

"The brutality of what occurred shook me a lot: the grief of the families, women collapsing, pregnant wives, sobbing, furious relatives," the reporter recounted.

The eyewitness

The official of the state announced that the large-scale security action deploying about 2,500 officers was designed to preventing a criminal group referred to as Comando Vermelho from expanding its territory.

Originally, local officials claimed that "60 suspects plus four law enforcement personnel" were fatally injured during the action.

They have since said that their "preliminary" count shows that 117 individuals lost their lives.

Rio's public defender's office, which provides legal assistance to disadvantaged individuals, has estimated the overall count of casualties to be 132.

According to researchers, Red Command represents the unique criminal entity which in recent years has been able to expand its territory in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

It is widely considered as a major illegal faction in the country, in company with another major gang, with a background extending half a century.

Per correspondent Rafael Soares, who has been covering illegal operations in Rio for years, Red Command "functions as a network" with area gang leaders joining the organization and acting as "commercial associates".

The criminal group focuses mainly on narcotics distribution, but also smuggles guns, valuable minerals, petroleum products, alcohol smoking products.

Per law enforcement statements, organization members have substantial firearms and police said that throughout the operation, they faced assaults via weaponized unmanned aircraft.

The official of Rio state, the political leader, described organization participants as "narcoterrorists" and referred to the law enforcement personnel who died during the operation as "heroes".

However, the count of fatalities during the raid has faced scrutiny from UN human rights officials saying it was "horrified".

In a media appearance on Wednesday, the official defended the police force.

"There was no objective to cause fatalities. We wanted to detain everyone safely," he declared.

He continued that the situation had escalated due to the alleged criminals resisted aggressively: "It resulted of the retaliation they executed and the overwhelming response from the gang members."

The state leader additionally stated that the bodies displayed by locals in the area were "altered".

Via a statement on social media, he asserted that certain victims had been removed of tactical gear which he claimed they wore "in order to shift blame toward law enforcement".

Felipe Curi representing security forces further reported that tactical gear, protective equipment, and weapons" were stripped from the bodies and showed footage appearing to show an individual removing tactical gear {off a corpse