The bodies just kept coming - photographer recounts fatal Rio security action

The photographer

A reporter who documented the results of a massive law enforcement action in the metropolitan area has reported how local people brought back mutilated bodies of those who had died.

The casualties "kept coming: the numbers kept rising", the photographer described. They included security forces.

One of the bodies was discovered headless - additional victims were "completely mutilated", he explained. Many also had what appeared to be knife injuries.

In excess of 120 victims lost their lives during Tuesday's raid against a criminal group - the most lethal operation Rio has experienced.

Bruno Itan explained that residents first notified him about the operation Tuesday morning by residents from the Alemão area, who sent him messages alerting him an armed confrontation was occurring.

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

Itan explained that security forces prevented journalists from going into the operation zone, where the security measures was under way.

"Law enforcement personnel created a barrier and said: 'Media representatives doesn't get past here'."

However, the photographer, who spent his childhood in the community, stated he managed to enter into the cordoned-off area, where he stayed through the night.

He explained that Tuesday night, local residents commenced searching the mountainous area which divides the Penha neighborhood from the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for relatives who were unaccounted for since the police raid.

Community members of the Penha neighbourhood proceeded to place the discovered victims in a public space - the photographer's images display the reaction of the gathered crowd.

"The brutality of the situation shook me a lot: the sorrow of loved ones, parents losing consciousness, expectant spouses, sobbing, outraged parents," the reporter recounted.

Bruno Itan

The official of Rio state stated that the extensive law enforcement effort involving around 2,500 law enforcement members was designed to stopping a gang known as Red Command from growing their influence.

Initially, the Rio state government maintained that sixty alleged criminals plus four law enforcement personnel" were fatally injured in the operation.

They have since said that initial estimates shows that 117 "suspects" lost their lives.

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

Based on expert analysis, Red Command is the only criminal group that recently has managed to increase its control throughout Rio state.

Experts commonly view among the biggest criminal organizations in the country, in company with a rival criminal group, featuring a timeline spanning over five decades.

According to reporter an expert, with extensive experience documenting criminal activity in the city over many years, the criminal organization "operates like a franchise" with neighborhood bosses affiliating with the group and acting as "business partners".

The gang concentrates largely on illegal drug trade, but also smuggles weapons, valuable minerals, petroleum products, alcohol smoking products.

According to the authorities, organization members have substantial firearms and police said that throughout the operation, they encountered resistance using drone-delivered explosives.

The official of Rio state, the government representative, described organization participants as drug terrorists and referred to the four police officers fatally injured in the action as "heroes".

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

In a media appearance on Wednesday, Governor Castro justified security actions.

"We did not plan to kill anyone. We wanted to take suspects into custody without harm," he stated.

He continued that the circumstances had escalated as the individuals had retaliated: "It resulted of the retaliation they executed and the excessive violence by those criminals."

The state leader additionally stated that the victims shown by residents in Penha had been "tampered with".

Through a message on social media, he said that some of them had been removed of the camouflage clothing that he stated they possessed "in order to shift blame onto the police".

A police official representing security forces also said that "camouflage clothing, vests, and firearms" were taken away from the bodies and presented video apparently demonstrating an individual removing tactical gear {off a corpse