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Bruno Itan

A reporter who witnessed the aftermath of a massive Brazilian police operation in the metropolitan area has described how community members came back with disfigured remains of people who lost their lives.

The bodies "continued arriving: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45...", Bruno Itan reported. Among them were those of police officers.

One individual was found without a head - while others appeared "severely damaged", he reported. Many also had what appeared to be knife injuries.

In excess of 120 victims lost their lives during Tuesday's raid targeting an illegal organization - the most lethal operation Rio has experienced.

The eyewitness explained that he initially learned concerning the action in the early hours by local people living in Alemão, who contacted him alerting him an armed confrontation was occurring.

The reporter traveled to the healthcare center, where the casualties were arriving.

The photographer stated that law enforcement blocked media personnel from going into the affected area, where the security measures were taking place.

"Security forces created a barrier and declared: 'The press cannot proceed beyond this point'."

But Itan, who grew up in the community, reported he was able to make his way past the security perimeter, where he remained until dawn.

He explained during the night, area inhabitants commenced searching the hillside that borders the Penha neighborhood from the neighboring Alemão community for family members who were unaccounted for following the security action.

Residents from the Penha area proceeded to place the discovered victims in a square - the photographer's images show the response of the gathered crowd.

"The violence of the situation shook me deeply: the sorrow of loved ones, mothers fainting, women carrying children, crying, furious relatives," the reporter recounted.

The eyewitness

The official of the state stated that the massive police operation with approximately 2,500 law enforcement members was intended to stopping a criminal group known as the criminal faction from increasing their control.

At first, the Rio state government claimed that "60 suspects along with four officers" were fatally injured in the raid.

Officials subsequently stated that early calculations shows that 117 "suspects" have been killed.

Rio's public defender's office, that offers legal help to disadvantaged individuals, has put the total number of people killed at 132.

According to researchers, the criminal organization is the only criminal group that in the past few years has been able to expand its territory throughout Rio state.

It is generally regarded one of the two largest gangs in Brazil, together with First Capital Command, with a background dating back more than 50 years.

Per Brazilian journalist Rafael Soares, who has long reported on crime in Rio over many years, the gang "functions as a network" with local criminal leaders affiliating with the group and acting as "operational allies".

The organization engages primarily in narcotics distribution, additionally trafficking firearms, gold, fuel, alcohol cigarettes.

According to the authorities, gang members possess significant weaponry and officials reported that throughout the operation, they came under attack from explosive-laden drones.

The official of the region, the political leader, characterized gang affiliates as drug terrorists and called the law enforcement personnel killed in the raid as "heroes".

However, the count of fatalities during the raid has received condemnation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights expressing they felt "appalled".

At a news conference the following day, Governor Castro supported law enforcement.

"There was no objective to cause fatalities. We wanted to arrest them all alive," he stated.

He added that the situation worsened because the suspects had retaliated: "It occurred of the counterattack they implemented and the excessive violence by those criminals."

The official also said that the bodies presented by community members in the neighborhood had been "tampered with".

In a post through digital channels, he said that particular individuals had been taken of military-style attire that he stated they possessed "to redirect responsibility onto the police".

A police official of Rio's civil police force further reported that tactical gear, vests, and arms" were taken away from the bodies and presented video apparently demonstrating a man cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse