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The photographer

A reporter who witnessed the results of a massive law enforcement action in Rio de Janeiro has described how community members brought back disfigured remains of those who had died.

The bodies "kept piling up: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45...", Bruno Itan reported. They included law enforcement personnel.

One individual was found without a head - while others appeared "completely mutilated", he reported. Several bodies showed evidence of knife injuries.

Over 120 individuals lost their lives during Tuesday's raid targeting an illegal organization - the deadliest such raid in the city.

The photographer explained that he initially learned to the raid early on Tuesday by community members from the Alemão area, who contacted him alerting him gunfire had erupted.

The eyewitness went to a local medical facility, where the victims were being brought.

Itan explained that the police prevented journalists from going into the operation zone, where the police action was under way.

"Law enforcement personnel created a barrier and declared: 'The press are not allowed to pass'."

Nevertheless, the eyewitness, who grew up in that neighborhood, stated he was able to enter into the cordoned-off area, where he stayed until the next morning.

He described during the night, local residents began to search the mountainous area that separates the Penha neighborhood from the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for loved ones whose whereabouts were unknown after the operation.

Local people of the Penha neighbourhood proceeded to place the located casualties in a square - and Itan's photos reveal the response of those present.

"The harsh reality of the situation impacted me deeply: the grief of relatives, women collapsing, women carrying children, sobbing, outraged parents," the eyewitness remembered.

The photographer

The governor of the state stated that the extensive law enforcement effort involving around 2,500 law enforcement members was aimed at halting an illegal organization called Red Command from growing their influence.

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

They have since said that early calculations indicates that 117 individuals lost their lives.

The public legal service, that gives legal support to disadvantaged individuals, has calculated the total number of people killed as 132.

Based on expert analysis, the criminal organization stands as the sole illegal faction that recently has succeeded to expand its territory throughout Rio state.

It is generally regarded as a major illegal faction nationally, together with a rival criminal group, featuring a timeline extending half a century.

According to correspondent Rafael Soares, with extensive experience documenting crime in Rio for years, the gang "functions as a network" with neighborhood bosses affiliating with the group and acting as "operational allies".

The gang concentrates largely on illegal drug trade, while also dealing in weapons, precious metals, fuel, alcohol and tobacco.

Per law enforcement statements, gang members are well armed and officials reported that throughout the operation, they faced assaults using drone-delivered explosives.

The state leader of the state, Cláudio Castro, described gang affiliates as drug terrorists and described the law enforcement personnel killed in the raid as courageous individuals.

Nevertheless, the total of people killed in the security action has faced scrutiny with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights stating they were "appalled".

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

"It wasn't our intention to kill anyone. We aimed to arrest them all alive," he said.

He further explained that the situation worsened as the individuals had retaliated: "It resulted of the counterattack they carried out and the excessive violence by the illegal group."

The state leader further reported that the bodies shown by residents in Penha had been "manipulated".

Through a message through digital channels, he claimed that some of them had been removed of tactical gear which he claimed they wore "to transfer accusation onto the police".

A law enforcement representative of Rio's civil police force also said that military attire, protective equipment, and firearms" were taken away from the victims and presented video seemingly depicting an individual cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse