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The photographer

A reporter who documented the results of a massive Brazilian police operation in the metropolitan area has recounted how residents returned with mutilated bodies of people who lost their lives.

The bodies "kept coming: the count kept increasing", the eyewitness described. They included those of police officers.

A particular victim was found without a head - others were "completely mutilated", he reported. Many also had what appeared to be blade trauma.

Over 120 individuals were killed in the Tuesday operation against a criminal group - the most lethal operation the municipality has seen.

The eyewitness stated that he was first alerted to the raid early on Tuesday by local people living in Alemão, who reached out informing him there was a shoot-out.

The eyewitness went to a local medical facility, where the casualties were being brought.

The eyewitness reported that law enforcement prevented journalists from accessing the Penha neighborhood, where the police action were taking place.

"Security forces created a barrier and declared: 'The press are not allowed to pass'."

But Itan, who spent his childhood in the area, stated he was able to make his way past the security perimeter, where he continued through the night.

He reported that evening, area inhabitants started looking the mountainous area which divides the Penha neighborhood from the neighboring Alemão community for relatives who were unaccounted for following the security action.

Local people of the Penha neighbourhood organized the recovered bodies in an open area - the photographer's images reveal the emotions of the gathered crowd.

"The brutality of the situation shook me deeply: the pain of the families, mothers fainting, women carrying children, crying, furious relatives," the reporter recounted.

Bruno Itan

The state leader of Rio state declared that the extensive law enforcement effort deploying about 2,500 officers was intended to stopping an illegal organization called Red Command from expanding its territory.

Originally, state authorities stated that sixty individuals and four police officers" lost their lives during the action.

They have since said that early calculations shows that 117 individuals lost their lives.

Rio's public defender's office, that offers legal help to disadvantaged individuals, has estimated the overall count of casualties as 132.

Per investigative findings, the gang is the only criminal group that recently has succeeded to increase its control across the region.

It is generally regarded one of the two largest gangs nationally, together with a rival criminal group, with a background dating back more than 50 years.

According to correspondent an expert, who has been covering crime in Rio over many years, the gang "works as a system" with local criminal leaders joining the organization and serving as "commercial associates".

The criminal group focuses mainly on illegal drug trade, while also dealing in weapons, precious metals, petroleum products, liquor and tobacco.

According to the authorities, criminal affiliates possess significant weaponry and officials reported that throughout the operation, they encountered resistance from explosive-laden drones.

The governor of the region, the government representative, characterized organization participants as drug terrorists and referred to the law enforcement personnel who died during the operation as courageous individuals.

However, the count of people killed during the raid has come in for criticism with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights saying it was "appalled".

In a media appearance the following day, Governor Castro supported law enforcement.

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

He further explained that the events intensified as the individuals resisted aggressively: "It resulted of the resistance they carried out and the disproportionate use of force by the illegal group."

The official also said that the bodies presented by community members in Penha had been "tampered with".

In a post on social media, he claimed that some of them had been stripped of military-style attire he said they had been wearing "in order to shift blame to security forces".

Felipe Curi of Rio's civil police force also said that military attire, vests, and firearms" were taken away from the casualties and presented video seemingly depicting an individual stripping military attire {off a corpse