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Bruno Itan

An eyewitness who observed the aftermath of a large-scale Brazilian police operation in the metropolitan area has recounted how local people brought back badly injured victims of people who lost their lives.

The casualties "kept coming: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45...", the photographer stated. They included security forces.

A particular victim was discovered headless - while others appeared "completely mutilated", he said. Several bodies showed evidence of stab wounds.

Over 120 individuals were fatally injured in the Tuesday operation targeting an illegal organization - the bloodiest action the municipality has seen.

The eyewitness reported that residents first notified him to the raid early on Tuesday by residents living in Alemão, who reached out alerting him gunfire had erupted.

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

Itan explained that law enforcement stopped members of the press from entering the affected area, where the security measures were taking place.

"Police officers created a barrier and announced: 'Journalists doesn't get past here'."

But Itan, who grew up in the community, reported he was able to make his way into the cordoned-off area, where he remained until the next morning.

He reported during the night, area inhabitants commenced searching the elevated terrain that borders the community of Penha and the adjacent Alemão area for family members who were unaccounted for since the police raid.

Local people of the Penha neighbourhood organized the located casualties in a square - the photographer's images reveal the response of the people there.

"The harsh reality of what occurred affected me a lot: the pain of relatives, parents losing consciousness, expectant spouses, weeping, outraged parents," the eyewitness remembered.

The photographer

The official of Rio state declared that the extensive law enforcement effort deploying about 2,500 officers was intended to preventing a gang referred to as Comando Vermelho from growing their influence.

At first, local officials claimed that "60 suspects plus four law enforcement personnel" lost their lives in the raid.

They have since said that initial estimates suggests that 117 individuals were fatally injured.

Rio's public defender's office, that gives legal support to the poor, has calculated the overall count of fatalities at 132.

Based on expert analysis, the criminal organization stands as the sole illegal faction which in recent years has managed to expand its territory in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

It is widely considered as a major illegal faction in Brazil, alongside a rival criminal group, and has a history spanning over five decades.

Based on reporter a specialist, who has long reported on crime in Rio over many years, the criminal organization "operates like a franchise" with local criminal leaders affiliating with the group and becoming "business partners".

The organization focuses mainly on narcotics distribution, but also smuggles guns, valuable minerals, petroleum products, beverages smoking products.

According to the authorities, gang members have substantial firearms and police said that during the raid, they encountered resistance via weaponized unmanned aircraft.

The state leader of the region, the government representative, labeled gang affiliates as drug terrorists and called the security forces killed in the raid as brave public servants.

However, the count of casualties during the raid has come in for criticism from UN human rights officials saying it was "appalled".

At a news conference the following day, the state leader supported law enforcement.

"We did not plan to cause fatalities. We intended to arrest them all alive," he said.

He continued that the circumstances intensified due to the alleged criminals had retaliated: "It was a consequence of the resistance they executed and the overwhelming response from the gang members."

The governor additionally stated that the casualties shown by residents in the neighborhood had been "tampered with".

Through a message on online platforms, he said that some of them had been stripped of the camouflage clothing which he claimed they wore "to transfer accusation onto the police".

Felipe Curi of Rio's civil police force also said that military attire, body armor, and firearms" were stripped from the victims and displayed evidence apparently demonstrating an individual stripping military attire {off a corpse