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Bruno Itan

A reporter who witnessed the results of an extensive law enforcement action in Rio de Janeiro has reported how community members came back with mutilated bodies of the deceased individuals.

The bodies "continued arriving: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45...", the eyewitness described. Among them were those of police officers.

A particular victim was discovered headless - additional victims were "completely mutilated", he explained. Many also had evidence of blade trauma.

In excess of 120 victims were killed during the security action against a criminal group - the bloodiest action Rio has experienced.

Bruno Itan explained that he was first alerted to the raid in the early hours by community members from the Alemão area, who contacted him telling him gunfire had erupted.

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

The photographer stated that security forces stopped members of the press from accessing the Penha neighborhood, where the operation were taking place.

"Security forces formed a line and declared: 'Media representatives are not allowed to pass'."

But Itan, who spent his childhood in the community, stated he was able to gain access into the restricted zone, where he remained until the next morning.

He described that evening, community members started looking the hillside that separates Penha from the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for family members who were unaccounted for since the police raid.

Local people from the Penha area organized the recovered bodies in a public space - and Itan's photos reveal the response of the gathered crowd.

"The brutality of the situation shook me deeply: the sorrow of relatives, parents losing consciousness, pregnant wives, sobbing, outraged parents," the reporter recounted.

The photographer

The official of the region announced that the massive police operation deploying about 2,500 officers was designed to halting an illegal organization known as Comando Vermelho from growing their influence.

Originally, state authorities maintained that sixty individuals plus four law enforcement personnel" lost their lives during the action.

They have since said that early calculations indicates that 117 alleged criminals were fatally injured.

The public legal service, that gives legal support to low-income residents, has calculated the total number of casualties as 132.

Based on expert analysis, the gang stands as the sole illegal faction that in the past few years has managed to increase its control in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

It is generally regarded among the biggest criminal organizations in the country, together with First Capital Command, and has a history extending half a century.

Based on Brazilian journalist Rafael Soares, who has been covering crime in Rio for years, the criminal organization "works as a system" with neighborhood bosses joining the organization and becoming "operational allies".

The gang concentrates largely on drug trafficking, while also dealing in weapons, valuable minerals, energy resources, beverages smoking products.

According to the authorities, gang members are well armed and authorities stated that while the action was underway, they came under attack using drone-delivered explosives.

The governor of Rio state, Cláudio Castro, characterized organization participants as criminal extremists and called the security forces fatally injured in the action as brave public servants.

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

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

"It wasn't our intention to result in deaths. We intended to arrest them all alive," he stated.

He continued that the situation intensified due to the alleged criminals fought back: "It resulted of the counterattack they implemented and the excessive violence from the gang members."

The state leader further reported that the bodies presented by community members in the area were "altered".

Through a message on social media, he said that some of them had been taken of military-style attire that he stated they possessed "to transfer accusation toward law enforcement".

Felipe Curi of Rio's civil police force also said that military attire, vests, and firearms" were taken away from the bodies and displayed evidence seemingly depicting a man cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse