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Bruno Itan

A reporter who documented the consequences of a large-scale security raid in Rio de Janeiro has reported how community members brought back badly injured victims of the deceased individuals.

The bodies "continued arriving: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45...", the eyewitness reported. They included those of police officers.

One of the bodies was discovered headless - additional victims were "completely mutilated", he explained. Numerous victims displayed what appeared to be knife injuries.

In excess of 120 victims lost their lives during the security action against a criminal group - the most lethal operation in the city.

The eyewitness stated that residents first notified him to the raid in the early hours by community members from the Alemão area, who sent him messages telling him there was a shoot-out.

The photographer traveled to the Getúlio Vargas hospital, where the bodies were coming in.

Itan explained that security forces prevented journalists from going into the affected area, where the security measures were taking place.

"Security forces created a barrier and declared: 'The press doesn't get past here'."

Nevertheless, the eyewitness, who was raised in the area, explained he managed to make his way into the cordoned-off area, where he remained through the night.

He described that evening, local residents commenced searching the mountainous area that borders Penha from the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for family members whose whereabouts were unknown after the operation.

Residents from the Penha area arranged the recovered bodies in a square - the photographer's images display the response of the people there.

"The violence of the situation shook me a lot: the grief of relatives, women collapsing, expectant spouses, weeping, outraged parents," the reporter recounted.

The photographer

The official of Rio state stated that the massive police operation involving around 2,500 law enforcement members was intended to preventing an illegal organization known as Comando Vermelho from expanding its territory.

Initially, the Rio state government claimed that sixty alleged criminals along with four officers" were fatally injured in the operation.

They have since said that initial estimates shows that 117 alleged criminals lost their lives.

The public legal service, that gives legal support to disadvantaged individuals, has calculated the total number of casualties at 132.

Per investigative findings, the gang stands as the sole illegal faction which in recent years has managed to increase its control across the region.

Experts commonly view one of the two largest gangs in Brazil, together with First Capital Command, and has a history spanning over five decades.

According to correspondent an expert, who has been covering crime in Rio for years, the gang "works as a system" with neighborhood bosses joining the organization and becoming "commercial associates".

The gang engages primarily in drug trafficking, additionally trafficking firearms, precious metals, petroleum products, liquor cigarettes.

Based on official reports, criminal affiliates are well armed and authorities stated that throughout the operation, they encountered resistance from explosive-laden drones.

The state leader of Rio state, the government representative, described gang affiliates as "narcoterrorists" and described the law enforcement personnel killed in the raid as courageous individuals.

Nevertheless, the total of casualties during the raid has come in for criticism from international human rights authorities saying it was "appalled".

In a media appearance on Wednesday, the official supported law enforcement.

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

He further explained that the circumstances intensified as the individuals resisted aggressively: "It occurred of the counterattack they executed and the excessive violence by those criminals."

The state leader additionally stated that the victims presented by community members in the area were "altered".

In a post on online platforms, he asserted that certain victims had been removed of the camouflage clothing that he stated they possessed "to transfer accusation to security forces".

Felipe Curi of Rio's civil police force also said that tactical gear, protective equipment, and firearms" were taken away from the casualties and showed footage seemingly depicting a person cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse