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Bruno Itan

An eyewitness who witnessed the results of a massive law enforcement action in Rio de Janeiro has reported how residents returned with mutilated bodies of the deceased individuals.

The bodies "kept coming: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45...", the photographer described. The total contained law enforcement personnel.

One individual was discovered headless - additional victims were "completely mutilated", he reported. Several bodies showed what he described as stab wounds.

Over 120 individuals lost their lives during Tuesday's raid targeting an illegal organization - the bloodiest action Rio has experienced.

The photographer reported that he was first alerted concerning the action Tuesday morning by residents from the Alemão area, who reached out telling him there was a shoot-out.

The eyewitness made his way to the Getúlio Vargas hospital, where the casualties were arriving.

The photographer stated that law enforcement prevented journalists from accessing the operation zone, where the operation were taking place.

"Law enforcement personnel created a barrier and announced: 'Media representatives cannot proceed beyond this point'."

But Itan, who spent his childhood in the community, reported he managed to make his way into the restricted zone, where he stayed until dawn.

He described that evening, community members commenced searching the hillside which divides Penha from the adjacent Alemão area for relatives who were unaccounted for after the operation.

Local people from the Penha area organized the located casualties in an open area - the photographer's images reveal the reaction of those present.

"The violence of the situation impacted me deeply: the pain of loved ones, mothers fainting, women carrying children, crying, outraged parents," the eyewitness remembered.

The photographer

The governor of the region announced that the extensive law enforcement effort deploying about 2,500 officers was aimed at preventing an illegal organization referred to as Red Command from growing their influence.

At first, state authorities claimed that sixty alleged criminals and four police officers" were fatally injured in the operation.

Officials subsequently stated that their "preliminary" count suggests that 117 individuals were fatally injured.

The public legal service, which provides legal assistance to low-income residents, has calculated the final tally of people killed to be 132.

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

It is widely considered one of the two largest gangs in the country, in company with a rival criminal group, with a background dating back more than 50 years.

Per Brazilian journalist a specialist, who has been covering illegal operations in Rio for years, the gang "operates like a franchise" with local criminal leaders affiliating with the group and serving as "commercial associates".

The criminal group concentrates largely on drug trafficking, while also dealing in guns, valuable minerals, petroleum products, beverages cigarettes.

Per law enforcement statements, gang members possess significant weaponry and police said that while the action was underway, they came under attack from explosive-laden drones.

The governor of the region, the government representative, labeled Red Command members as drug terrorists and called the law enforcement personnel fatally injured in the action as brave public servants.

However, the count of casualties during the raid has faced scrutiny from UN human rights officials saying it was "shocked".

In a media appearance on Wednesday, Governor Castro supported law enforcement.

"There was no objective to result in deaths. We aimed to arrest them all alive," he stated.

He continued that the circumstances intensified as the individuals fought back: "It resulted of the resistance they carried out and the overwhelming response by the illegal group."

The state leader also said that the victims shown by residents in the area were "altered".

Via a statement through digital channels, he claimed that certain victims had been removed of the camouflage clothing which he claimed they wore "in order to shift blame onto the police".

A police official representing security forces further reported that "camouflage clothing, body armor, and arms" were taken away from the bodies and presented video seemingly depicting an individual removing tactical gear {off a corpse