The victims kept arriving - photographer recounts lethal Rio security action

The eyewitness

A reporter who documented the results of a massive security raid in Rio de Janeiro has reported how local people brought back disfigured remains of people who lost their lives.

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

A particular victim was discovered headless - others were "severely damaged", he said. Several bodies showed what appeared to be knife injuries.

In excess of 120 victims were fatally injured during Tuesday's raid against a criminal group - the most lethal operation in the city.

The eyewitness stated that he was first alerted concerning the action Tuesday morning by community members of the Alemão neighbourhood, who reached out telling him an armed confrontation was occurring.

The eyewitness made his way to the Getúlio Vargas hospital, where the bodies were being brought.

Itan explained that the police prevented journalists from going into the Penha neighborhood, where the security measures was under way.

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

Nevertheless, the eyewitness, who grew up in the community, stated he succeeded to enter into the cordoned-off area, where he continued until dawn.

He reported during the night, community members started looking the elevated terrain which divides the Penha neighborhood from the neighboring Alemão community for loved ones whose whereabouts were unknown after the operation.

Local people living in Penha proceeded to place the located casualties in a public space - and Itan's photos reveal the reaction of those present.

"The brutality of the situation shook me a lot: the pain of relatives, mothers fainting, pregnant wives, crying, outraged parents," the eyewitness remembered.

The photographer

The state leader of the region stated that the extensive law enforcement effort involving around 2,500 officers was intended to preventing a criminal group called Comando Vermelho from growing their influence.

Initially, local officials maintained that sixty individuals plus four law enforcement personnel" lost their lives in the operation.

Officials subsequently stated that initial estimates suggests that 117 individuals lost their lives.

The legal assistance organization, which provides legal assistance to the poor, has calculated the total number of people killed as 132.

Based on expert analysis, Red Command is the only criminal group that in the past few years has succeeded to expand its territory throughout Rio state.

Experts commonly view one of the two largest gangs in the country, together with a rival criminal group, with a background extending half a century.

Based on Brazilian journalist a specialist, who has been covering criminal activity in the city over many years, the gang "operates like a franchise" with neighborhood bosses joining the organization and acting as "business partners".

The organization focuses mainly on illegal drug trade, while also dealing in firearms, valuable minerals, petroleum products, beverages smoking products.

According to the authorities, criminal affiliates possess significant weaponry and authorities stated that while the action was underway, they encountered resistance from explosive-laden drones.

The governor of the state, the political leader, characterized organization participants as drug terrorists and described the security forces who died during the operation as courageous individuals.

But the number of casualties in the security action has faced scrutiny from international human rights authorities expressing they felt "appalled".

At a news conference the following day, the state leader supported law enforcement.

"There was no objective to kill anyone. We aimed to arrest them all alive," he stated.

He added that the situation worsened as the individuals had retaliated: "It resulted of the counterattack they carried out and the overwhelming response by the illegal group."

The state leader additionally stated that the bodies displayed by locals in the area had been "manipulated".

In a post through digital channels, he claimed that certain victims had been stripped of the camouflage clothing that he stated they possessed "to redirect responsibility onto the police".

A law enforcement representative representing security forces additionally stated that "camouflage clothing, protective equipment, and weapons" were taken away from the victims and displayed evidence apparently demonstrating a man stripping military attire {off a corpse