The victims kept arriving - eyewitness describes fatal Rio law enforcement operation

Bruno Itan

A photographer who observed the consequences of a massive Brazilian police operation in the metropolitan area has recounted how residents came back with disfigured remains of those who had died.

The victims "kept piling up: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45...", Bruno Itan reported. The total contained law enforcement personnel.

One of the bodies was discovered headless - additional victims were "totally disfigured", he explained. Many also had what appeared to be stab wounds.

In excess of 120 victims were fatally injured in the Tuesday operation targeting an illegal organization - the most lethal operation Rio has experienced.

The photographer reported that he was first alerted to the raid Tuesday morning by residents living in Alemão, who reached out informing him there was a shoot-out.

The reporter made his way to the Getúlio Vargas hospital, where the bodies were coming in.

The eyewitness reported that security forces prevented journalists from entering the affected area, where the police action was under way.

"Law enforcement personnel formed a line and declared: 'The press cannot proceed beyond this point'."

Nevertheless, the eyewitness, who grew up in the community, reported he was able to enter into the restricted zone, where he continued through the night.

He reported that Tuesday night, local residents commenced searching the hillside which divides the Penha neighborhood from the neighboring Alemão community for loved ones whose whereabouts were unknown since the police raid.

Community members from the Penha area arranged the recovered bodies in an open area - and Itan's photos display the emotions of the people there.

"The brutality of the situation affected me a lot: the sorrow of the families, mothers fainting, pregnant wives, crying, angry family members," the eyewitness remembered.

Bruno Itan

The state leader of Rio state announced that the large-scale security action with approximately 2,500 security personnel was designed to preventing a criminal group referred to as Comando Vermelho from expanding its territory.

Originally, the Rio state government stated that sixty individuals and four police officers" had been killed in the raid.

They have since said that their "preliminary" count indicates that 117 alleged criminals lost their lives.

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

According to researchers, the criminal organization is the only criminal group which in recent years has succeeded to make territorial gains across the region.

It is generally regarded among the biggest criminal organizations nationally, together with another major gang, with a background dating back more than 50 years.

According to correspondent a specialist, who has been covering illegal operations in Rio over many years, the gang "functions as a network" with local criminal leaders forming part of the gang and acting as "operational allies".

The criminal group focuses mainly on illegal drug trade, additionally trafficking weapons, precious metals, fuel, beverages cigarettes.

According to the authorities, organization members are well armed and officials reported that throughout the operation, they encountered resistance using drone-delivered explosives.

The state leader of Rio state, the political leader, described Red Command members as criminal extremists and called the law enforcement personnel fatally injured in the action as courageous individuals.

But the number of people killed in the security action has faced scrutiny with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights saying it was "shocked".

In a media appearance on Wednesday, Governor Castro defended the police force.

"There was no objective to cause fatalities. We aimed to take suspects into custody without harm," he stated.

He added that the circumstances worsened because the suspects had retaliated: "It was a consequence of the resistance they carried out and the overwhelming response by the illegal group."

The official additionally stated that the casualties presented by community members in the area had been "tampered with".

In a post on online platforms, he said that some of them had been taken of the camouflage clothing which he claimed they wore "in order to shift blame toward law enforcement".

Felipe Curi representing security forces also said that tactical gear, body armor, and arms" were stripped from the bodies and displayed evidence seemingly depicting an individual removing tactical gear {off a corpse