The bodies just kept coming - reporter shares deadly Rio law enforcement operation

The photographer

An eyewitness who documented the aftermath of an extensive law enforcement action in the Brazilian city has described how community members came back with disfigured remains of the deceased individuals.

The casualties "kept coming: the count kept increasing", Bruno Itan described. Among them were those of police officers.

A particular victim was discovered headless - while others appeared "severely damaged", he said. Several bodies showed evidence of blade trauma.

Over 120 individuals were killed during the security action against a criminal group - the bloodiest action the municipality has seen.

Bruno Itan stated that he was first alerted concerning the action early on Tuesday by local people from the Alemão area, who reached out informing him gunfire had erupted.

The eyewitness went to the Getúlio Vargas hospital, where the victims were being brought.

The eyewitness reported that the police prevented journalists from going into the Penha neighborhood, where the police action were occurring.

"Law enforcement personnel formed a line and declared: 'The press doesn't get past here'."

However, the photographer, who grew up in that neighborhood, explained he succeeded to make his way into the restricted zone, where he continued through the night.

He reported during the night, local residents started looking the mountainous area that borders Penha from the adjacent Alemão area for family members whose whereabouts were unknown after the operation.

Residents of the Penha neighbourhood proceeded to place the discovered victims in a square - the documented evidence reveal the emotions of the people there.

"The brutality of it all impacted me a lot: the sorrow of relatives, mothers fainting, women carrying children, weeping, furious relatives," the eyewitness remembered.

The photographer

The official of Rio state announced that the extensive law enforcement effort with approximately 2,500 law enforcement members was designed to halting a criminal group referred to as Red Command from expanding its territory.

Originally, local officials claimed that "60 suspects and four police officers" were fatally injured in the raid.

Authorities later reported that early calculations shows that 117 alleged criminals were fatally injured.

The public legal service, which provides legal assistance to low-income residents, has estimated the total number of casualties as 132.

Per investigative findings, the gang represents the unique criminal entity which in recent years has succeeded to make territorial gains throughout Rio state.

It is widely considered as a major illegal faction in Brazil, together with another major gang, featuring a timeline spanning over five decades.

Per Brazilian journalist a specialist, with extensive experience documenting criminal activity in the city for years, Red Command "functions as a network" with neighborhood bosses forming part of the gang and serving as "commercial associates".

The organization engages primarily in illegal drug trade, but also smuggles guns, valuable minerals, energy resources, liquor and tobacco.

According to the authorities, criminal affiliates possess significant weaponry and authorities stated that during the raid, they faced assaults from explosive-laden drones.

The state leader of Rio state, the government representative, labeled organization participants as drug terrorists and described the four police officers who died during the operation as "heroes".

But the number of fatalities during the raid has come in for criticism from UN human rights officials saying it was "shocked".

In a media appearance on Wednesday, the official justified security actions.

"There was no objective to kill anyone. We wanted to take suspects into custody without harm," he said.

He continued that the situation worsened as the individuals fought back: "It was a consequence of the retaliation they executed and the overwhelming response by the illegal group."

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

Through a message on social media, he said that certain victims had been removed of military-style attire he said they had been wearing "in order to shift blame to security forces".

A police official representing security forces also said that "camouflage clothing, protective equipment, and arms" were stripped from the victims and presented video apparently demonstrating a person stripping military attire {off a corpse