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The photographer

A reporter who observed the consequences of a massive law enforcement action in Rio de Janeiro has described how community members returned with badly injured victims of those who had died.

The bodies "kept piling up: the numbers kept rising", the photographer stated. Among them were those of police officers.

A particular victim was found without a head - others were "totally disfigured", he explained. Several bodies showed evidence of blade trauma.

Over 120 individuals were fatally injured during the security action targeting an illegal organization - the deadliest such raid in the city.

Bruno Itan explained that he was first alerted concerning the action early on Tuesday by community members from the Alemão area, who reached out informing him an armed confrontation was occurring.

The reporter went to a local medical facility, where the bodies were coming in.

Itan explained that the police stopped members of the press from entering the Penha neighborhood, where the police action were taking place.

"Law enforcement personnel established a perimeter and declared: 'Journalists cannot proceed beyond this point'."

But Itan, who was raised in the community, explained he managed to enter into the restricted zone, where he stayed until the next morning.

He described that Tuesday night, community members commenced searching the elevated terrain that separates the community of Penha and the adjacent Alemão area for relatives whose whereabouts were unknown following the security action.

Community members living in Penha proceeded to place the discovered victims in a public space - the photographer's images display the emotions of the people there.

"The brutality of the situation affected me profoundly: the pain of loved ones, mothers fainting, women carrying children, sobbing, angry family members," the reporter recounted.

The eyewitness

The state leader of the state announced that the large-scale security action deploying about 2,500 security personnel was aimed at halting an illegal organization called Red Command from increasing their control.

Initially, state authorities stated that "60 suspects along with four officers" had been killed in the raid.

Officials subsequently stated that initial estimates shows that 117 alleged criminals have been killed.

Rio's public defender's office, that offers legal help to low-income residents, has estimated the final tally of fatalities at 132.

According to researchers, the gang is the only criminal group which in recent years has been able to increase its control throughout Rio state.

Experts commonly view as a major illegal faction in Brazil, alongside another major gang, and has a history extending half a century.

Based on Brazilian journalist an expert, who has long reported on criminal activity in the city over many years, the criminal organization "functions as a network" with neighborhood bosses affiliating with the group and becoming "business partners".

The gang focuses mainly on narcotics distribution, while also dealing in guns, gold, fuel, alcohol smoking products.

Based on official reports, gang members have substantial firearms and police said that during the raid, they faced assaults using drone-delivered explosives.

The official of Rio state, the political leader, labeled gang affiliates as drug terrorists and described the four police officers fatally injured in the action as "heroes".

Nevertheless, the total of fatalities during the raid has received condemnation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights expressing they felt "shocked".

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

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

He further explained that the circumstances worsened as the individuals fought back: "It occurred of the retaliation they implemented and the disproportionate use of force by those criminals."

The state leader further reported that the casualties displayed by locals in the area were "altered".

Via a statement on online platforms, he claimed that certain victims had been removed of the camouflage clothing he said they had been wearing "in order to shift blame to security forces".

A police official of Rio's civil police force further reported that tactical gear, body armor, and firearms" were stripped from the casualties and showed footage apparently demonstrating an individual cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse