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Bruno Itan

A photographer who documented the aftermath of an extensive Brazilian police operation in the Brazilian city has reported how community members brought back mutilated bodies of those who had died.

The bodies "continued arriving: the numbers kept rising", Bruno Itan stated. Among them were security forces.

One of the bodies was discovered headless - additional victims were "severely damaged", he said. Numerous victims displayed evidence of stab wounds.

More than 120 people were fatally injured during Tuesday's raid on a criminal gang - the bloodiest action the municipality has seen.

Bruno Itan stated that he initially learned to the raid early on Tuesday by residents of the Alemão neighbourhood, who contacted him alerting him an armed confrontation was occurring.

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

Itan explained that the police stopped members of the press from entering the operation zone, where the police action were occurring.

"Police officers formed a line and announced: 'Media representatives are not allowed to pass'."

But Itan, who was raised in the area, explained he succeeded to make his way into the cordoned-off area, where he stayed through the night.

He explained that Tuesday night, area inhabitants commenced searching the hillside that borders the Penha neighborhood from the neighboring Alemão community for relatives whose whereabouts were unknown following the security action.

Community members of the Penha neighbourhood organized the recovered bodies in a square - and Itan's photos display the reaction of the people there.

"The violence of what occurred shook me a lot: the grief of the families, mothers fainting, women carrying children, weeping, furious relatives," the reporter recounted.

Bruno Itan

The official of the state announced that the massive police operation deploying about 2,500 officers was designed to preventing an illegal organization referred to as the criminal faction from growing their influence.

Initially, local officials maintained that sixty alleged criminals plus four law enforcement personnel" had been killed in the raid.

They have since said that initial estimates shows that 117 alleged criminals have been killed.

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

According to researchers, the gang is the only criminal group which in recent years has been able to increase its control across the region.

Experts commonly view as a major illegal faction in the country, alongside another major gang, with a background dating back more than 50 years.

Per reporter a specialist, who has long reported on crime in Rio over many years, the gang "functions as a network" with local criminal leaders affiliating with the group and becoming "business partners".

The criminal group focuses mainly on illegal drug trade, additionally trafficking firearms, gold, fuel, beverages smoking products.

According to the authorities, criminal affiliates possess significant weaponry and officials reported that during the raid, they came under attack from explosive-laden drones.

The state leader of Rio state, the political leader, characterized gang affiliates as criminal extremists and referred to the law enforcement personnel fatally injured in the action as courageous individuals.

But the number of people killed in the operation has received condemnation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights stating they were "shocked".

During a press briefing the next day, the official justified security actions.

"We did not plan to kill anyone. We wanted to detain everyone safely," he declared.

He continued that the events had escalated because the suspects resisted aggressively: "It occurred of the counterattack they executed and the disproportionate use of force by those criminals."

The official also said that the bodies shown by residents in Penha had been "manipulated".

In a post through digital channels, he asserted that particular individuals had been taken of military-style attire which he claimed they wore "to redirect responsibility onto the police".

A law enforcement representative of Rio's civil police force further reported that "camouflage clothing, body armor, and arms" were taken away from the victims and presented video appearing to show a person removing tactical gear {off a corpse