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Bruno Itan

A photographer who witnessed the results of an extensive law enforcement action in Rio de Janeiro has described how local people returned with disfigured remains of the deceased individuals.

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

One of the bodies had been decapitated - while others appeared "totally disfigured", he said. Numerous victims displayed what appeared to be blade trauma.

In excess of 120 victims were fatally injured in the Tuesday operation against a criminal group - the bloodiest action in the city.

The eyewitness reported that residents first notified him concerning the action early on Tuesday by local people from the Alemão area, who contacted him informing him an armed confrontation was occurring.

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

Itan explained that security forces blocked media personnel from going into the operation zone, where the security measures was under way.

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

Nevertheless, the eyewitness, who grew up in that neighborhood, explained he was able to make his way past the security perimeter, where he remained until the next morning.

He described that Tuesday night, community members began to search the elevated terrain which divides the community of Penha and the adjacent Alemão area for relatives who had been missing following the security action.

Community members from the Penha area arranged the recovered bodies in a square - the photographer's images show the emotions of the gathered crowd.

"The harsh reality of what occurred affected me profoundly: the grief of the families, mothers fainting, pregnant wives, crying, angry family members," the reporter recounted.

The photographer

The governor of the region announced that the extensive law enforcement effort with approximately 2,500 officers was designed to preventing an illegal organization called the criminal faction from growing their influence.

Initially, the Rio state government claimed that sixty individuals plus four law enforcement personnel" lost their lives in the operation.

Authorities later reported that their "preliminary" count suggests that 117 individuals have been killed.

Rio's public defender's office, that offers legal help to disadvantaged individuals, has estimated the final tally of fatalities to be 132.

According to researchers, Red Command stands as the sole illegal faction which in recent years has succeeded to make territorial gains across the region.

Experts commonly view one of the two largest gangs in the country, in company with a rival criminal group, and has a history spanning over five decades.

According to reporter Rafael Soares, who has long reported on crime in Rio over many years, Red Command "functions as a network" with area gang leaders affiliating with the group and serving as "commercial associates".

The gang focuses mainly on narcotics distribution, while also dealing in guns, valuable minerals, energy resources, alcohol smoking products.

Per law enforcement statements, gang members possess significant weaponry and officials reported that during the raid, they came under attack using drone-delivered explosives.

The official of the region, the government representative, labeled Red Command members as drug terrorists and referred to the law enforcement personnel who died during the operation as brave public servants.

Nevertheless, the total of people killed in the operation has received condemnation from international human rights authorities expressing they felt "shocked".

During a press briefing the next day, Governor Castro justified security actions.

"We did not plan to result in deaths. We aimed to detain everyone safely," he said.

He further explained that the situation worsened because the suspects fought back: "It resulted of the resistance they implemented and the overwhelming response by the illegal group."

The official further reported that the bodies presented by community members in Penha had been "tampered with".

In a post through digital channels, he claimed that certain victims had been taken of the camouflage clothing he said they had been wearing "to redirect responsibility toward law enforcement".

Felipe Curi representing security forces also said that military attire, protective equipment, and firearms" were taken away from the casualties and presented video seemingly depicting a man cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse