The bodies just kept coming - reporter shares fatal Rio security action

The eyewitness

A reporter who observed the results of an extensive law enforcement action in the Brazilian city has described how community members brought back mutilated bodies of the deceased individuals.

The victims "kept coming: the count kept increasing", the eyewitness reported. They included security forces.

A particular victim was found without a head - additional victims were "completely mutilated", he explained. Several bodies showed what he described as stab wounds.

More than 120 people lost their lives in the Tuesday operation targeting an illegal organization - the most lethal operation the municipality has seen.

Bruno Itan explained that he initially learned to the raid in the early hours by residents of the Alemão neighbourhood, who contacted him informing him there was a shoot-out.

The photographer went to the healthcare center, where the casualties were arriving.

The eyewitness reported that the police prevented journalists from entering the affected area, where the security measures was under way.

"Law enforcement personnel formed a line and announced: 'Media representatives are not allowed to pass'."

Nevertheless, the eyewitness, who was raised in that neighborhood, explained he managed to make his way past the security perimeter, where he stayed until the next morning.

He explained that evening, area inhabitants commenced searching the elevated terrain that borders the Penha neighborhood from the adjacent Alemão area for loved ones whose whereabouts were unknown since the police raid.

Community members living in Penha organized the recovered bodies in a square - the documented evidence reveal the reaction of the gathered crowd.

"The harsh reality of the situation affected me deeply: the pain of the families, women collapsing, pregnant wives, sobbing, furious relatives," the photographer recalled.

The photographer

The governor of the region stated that the extensive law enforcement effort involving around 2,500 security personnel was designed to stopping a gang referred to as the criminal faction from increasing their control.

At first, local officials maintained that "60 suspects plus four law enforcement personnel" were fatally injured in the raid.

Authorities later reported that early calculations shows that 117 alleged criminals lost their lives.

The legal assistance organization, that gives legal support to the poor, has estimated the total number of casualties as 132.

According to researchers, the criminal organization represents the unique criminal entity that recently has succeeded to expand its territory in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

It is widely considered among the biggest criminal organizations in the country, together with another major gang, with a background spanning over five decades.

Per correspondent an expert, who has been covering criminal activity in the city extensively, the criminal organization "works as a system" with local criminal leaders affiliating with the group and serving as "operational allies".

The organization focuses mainly on narcotics distribution, but also smuggles weapons, valuable minerals, energy resources, alcohol and tobacco.

Per law enforcement statements, organization members possess significant weaponry and authorities stated that throughout the operation, they came under attack from explosive-laden drones.

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

Nevertheless, the total of fatalities in the operation has received condemnation from international human rights authorities saying it was "horrified".

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

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

He further explained that the situation had escalated because the suspects resisted aggressively: "It resulted of the counterattack they carried out and the overwhelming response by the illegal group."

The governor further reported that the casualties displayed by locals in the neighborhood had been "manipulated".

Via a statement through digital channels, he said that particular individuals had been removed of military-style attire that he stated they possessed "to redirect responsibility onto the police".

Felipe Curi of Rio's civil police force further reported that "camouflage clothing, vests, and arms" had been removed from the victims and displayed evidence seemingly depicting a person stripping military attire {off a corpse