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Bruno Itan

A photographer who witnessed the results of a massive security raid in Rio de Janeiro has described how residents brought back mutilated bodies of people who lost their lives.

The victims "kept piling up: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45...", the photographer stated. Among them were those of police officers.

A particular victim was discovered headless - while others appeared "completely mutilated", he said. Many also had evidence of stab wounds.

In excess of 120 victims were fatally injured in the Tuesday operation on a criminal gang - the deadliest such raid the municipality has seen.

The photographer explained that he initially learned about the operation in the early hours by community members living in Alemão, who reached out telling him an armed confrontation was occurring.

The reporter went to the Getúlio Vargas hospital, where the bodies were arriving.

Itan explained that the police prevented journalists from entering the affected area, where the operation were taking place.

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

However, the photographer, who grew up in the community, reported he managed to gain access into the restricted zone, where he continued until dawn.

He described that evening, local residents began to search the mountainous area that borders Penha from the adjacent Alemão area for loved ones who had been missing since the police raid.

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

"The violence of the situation affected me a lot: the pain of loved ones, parents losing consciousness, women carrying children, weeping, furious relatives," the eyewitness remembered.

The photographer

The state leader of the region announced that the massive police operation with approximately 2,500 officers was aimed at stopping a gang called the criminal faction from growing their influence.

Originally, local officials maintained that sixty alleged criminals and four police officers" lost their lives during the action.

Authorities later reported that early calculations indicates that 117 "suspects" lost their lives.

Rio's public defender's office, that gives legal support to the poor, has estimated the total number of people killed as 132.

Based on expert analysis, the gang stands as the sole illegal faction that in the past few years has managed to increase its control throughout Rio state.

Experts commonly view as a major illegal faction nationally, together with another major gang, with a background spanning over five decades.

According to correspondent an expert, who has long reported on criminal activity in the city over many years, the gang "functions as a network" with local criminal leaders joining the organization and serving as "commercial associates".

The organization focuses mainly on drug trafficking, additionally trafficking weapons, gold, fuel, liquor cigarettes.

According to the authorities, gang members are well armed and authorities stated that throughout the operation, they encountered resistance from explosive-laden drones.

The official of the state, Cláudio Castro, characterized Red Command members as criminal extremists and described the four police officers fatally injured in the action as brave public servants.

But the number of fatalities during the raid has received condemnation from UN human rights officials stating they were "appalled".

At a news conference the following day, the state leader justified security actions.

"We did not plan to cause fatalities. We wanted to detain everyone safely," he declared.

He continued that the events worsened as the individuals resisted aggressively: "It occurred of the counterattack they carried out and the excessive violence by the illegal group."

The governor also said that the casualties displayed by locals in Penha had been "manipulated".

Through a message through digital channels, he said that certain victims had been taken of the camouflage clothing he said they had been wearing "to redirect responsibility to security forces".

A police official from the police department also said that "camouflage clothing, vests, and firearms" had been removed from the victims and displayed evidence seemingly depicting a man stripping military attire {off a corpse