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The photographer

A photographer who witnessed the aftermath of a large-scale law enforcement action in Rio de Janeiro has reported how residents came back with badly injured victims of the deceased individuals.

The casualties "kept coming: the numbers kept rising", Bruno Itan described. Among them were security forces.

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

Over 120 individuals were killed during Tuesday's raid against a criminal group - the most lethal operation the municipality has seen.

The eyewitness reported that he initially learned concerning the action Tuesday morning by community members from the Alemão area, who contacted him telling him an armed confrontation was occurring.

The reporter made his way to the healthcare center, where the victims were being brought.

The eyewitness reported that security forces blocked media personnel from accessing the affected area, where the security measures were occurring.

"Security forces created a barrier and said: 'Journalists are not allowed to pass'."

But Itan, who spent his childhood in that neighborhood, reported he managed to gain access into the restricted zone, where he continued until dawn.

He described during the night, area inhabitants commenced searching the elevated terrain which divides the community of Penha and the adjacent Alemão area for loved ones who were unaccounted for since the police raid.

Community members living in Penha arranged the discovered victims in an open area - the photographer's images display the emotions of the gathered crowd.

"The violence of the situation impacted me profoundly: the grief of loved ones, parents losing consciousness, women carrying children, crying, angry family members," the reporter recounted.

The eyewitness

The state leader of the region stated that the massive police operation involving around 2,500 security personnel was intended to halting an illegal organization known as the criminal faction from growing their influence.

Initially, state authorities maintained that sixty alleged criminals and four police officers" were fatally injured in the raid.

Officials subsequently stated that initial estimates shows that 117 individuals have been killed.

Rio's public defender's office, that offers legal help to the poor, has put the total number of fatalities to be 132.

According to researchers, the criminal organization is the only criminal group that recently has managed to make territorial gains across the region.

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

According to correspondent a specialist, with extensive experience documenting illegal operations in Rio over many years, the gang "functions as a network" with area gang leaders joining the organization and acting as "business partners".

The organization concentrates largely on illegal drug trade, additionally trafficking firearms, gold, petroleum products, liquor cigarettes.

Per law enforcement statements, criminal affiliates have substantial firearms and authorities stated that while the action was underway, they came under attack from explosive-laden drones.

The state leader of Rio state, the political leader, labeled organization participants as drug terrorists and called the security forces fatally injured in the action as "heroes".

However, the count of casualties during the raid has come in for criticism with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights stating they were "appalled".

In a media appearance the next day, the official defended the police force.

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

He continued that the events intensified due to the alleged criminals resisted aggressively: "It resulted of the retaliation they implemented and the disproportionate use of force from the gang members."

The state leader further reported that the casualties displayed by locals in the neighborhood had been "manipulated".

In a post on social media, he said that certain victims had been removed of the camouflage clothing which he claimed they wore "to redirect responsibility to security forces".

A police official of Rio's civil police force additionally stated that tactical gear, vests, and arms" were stripped from the victims and presented video apparently demonstrating a man removing tactical gear {off a corpse