The casualties continued piling up - reporter shares lethal Rio police raid

The photographer

A photographer who observed the aftermath of an extensive Brazilian police operation in the metropolitan area has described how residents brought back badly injured victims of people who lost their lives.

The victims "kept coming: the count kept increasing", Bruno Itan described. The total contained law enforcement personnel.

A particular victim had been decapitated - additional victims were "completely mutilated", he said. Many also had what appeared to be blade trauma.

Over 120 individuals lost their lives in the Tuesday operation against a criminal group - the deadliest such raid Rio has experienced.

The eyewitness reported that he initially learned concerning the action early on Tuesday by community members living in Alemão, who reached out telling him gunfire had erupted.

The reporter made his way to a local medical facility, where the victims were arriving.

The eyewitness reported that law enforcement prevented journalists from going into the affected area, where the security measures were occurring.

"Police officers formed a line and declared: 'The press doesn't get past here'."

However, the photographer, who grew up in that neighborhood, reported he succeeded to gain access into the restricted zone, where he continued until dawn.

He described that evening, community members started looking the hillside that separates Penha from the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for loved ones who were unaccounted for following the security action.

Residents living in Penha proceeded to place the discovered victims in a public space - the photographer's images reveal the reaction of the people there.

"The brutality of the situation shook me profoundly: the sorrow of the families, parents losing consciousness, women carrying children, sobbing, outraged parents," the photographer recalled.

Bruno Itan

The official of the state stated that the massive police operation involving around 2,500 officers was intended to preventing an illegal organization known as the criminal faction from expanding its territory.

At first, local officials stated that sixty alleged criminals and four police officers" were fatally injured during the action.

They have since said that early calculations suggests that 117 "suspects" were fatally injured.

The public legal service, that gives legal support to the poor, has calculated the overall count of fatalities at 132.

Based on expert analysis, the gang represents the unique criminal entity that in the past few years has succeeded to make territorial gains across the region.

It is widely considered as a major illegal faction in Brazil, together with another major gang, with a background extending half a century.

Based on reporter Rafael Soares, with extensive experience documenting criminal activity in the city extensively, the gang "works as a system" with neighborhood bosses affiliating with the group and acting as "commercial associates".

The organization concentrates largely on illegal drug trade, additionally trafficking firearms, precious metals, energy resources, liquor smoking products.

Based on official reports, gang members are well armed and authorities stated that throughout the operation, they came under attack using drone-delivered explosives.

The official of the region, the government representative, characterized gang affiliates as criminal extremists and called the law enforcement personnel killed in the raid as brave public servants.

Nevertheless, the total of people killed during the raid has received condemnation from international human rights authorities saying it was "horrified".

At a news conference the next day, the state leader justified security actions.

"It wasn't our intention to kill anyone. We wanted to arrest them all alive," he declared.

He further explained that the situation worsened due to the alleged criminals had retaliated: "It occurred of the counterattack they implemented and the excessive violence by those criminals."

The state leader further reported that the bodies presented by community members in the neighborhood had been "manipulated".

In a post on social media, he asserted that certain victims had been removed of tactical gear he said they had been wearing "to redirect responsibility onto the police".

A law enforcement representative representing security forces additionally stated that "camouflage clothing, protective equipment, and weapons" were stripped from the casualties and displayed evidence seemingly depicting a person cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse