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Bruno Itan

A photographer who observed the aftermath of a massive security raid in the Brazilian city has described how community members returned with mutilated bodies of the deceased individuals.

The victims "kept piling up: the count kept increasing", the photographer stated. Among them were security forces.

One individual had been decapitated - while others appeared "severely damaged", he reported. Many also had what appeared to be blade trauma.

In excess of 120 victims were fatally injured during Tuesday's raid against a criminal group - the deadliest such raid Rio has experienced.

Bruno Itan reported that residents first notified him to the raid Tuesday morning by residents of the Alemão neighbourhood, who contacted him alerting him an armed confrontation was occurring.

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

The eyewitness reported that law enforcement blocked media personnel from entering the affected area, where the security measures were taking place.

"Police officers established a perimeter and declared: 'Media representatives are not allowed to pass'."

Nevertheless, the eyewitness, who was raised in the area, explained he was able to enter into the restricted zone, where he stayed until the next morning.

He explained during the night, local residents started looking the elevated terrain that borders the Penha neighborhood from the neighboring Alemão community for loved ones who were unaccounted for following the security action.

Community members of the Penha neighbourhood organized the discovered victims in a square - the documented evidence show the response of the gathered crowd.

"The brutality of what occurred affected me deeply: the sorrow of the families, parents losing consciousness, pregnant wives, sobbing, furious relatives," the eyewitness remembered.

The eyewitness

The governor of the state announced that the large-scale security action with approximately 2,500 officers was intended to preventing an illegal organization called Comando Vermelho from increasing their control.

Originally, state authorities maintained that sixty individuals and four police officers" lost their lives in the raid.

Officials subsequently stated that early calculations shows that 117 alleged criminals have been killed.

The legal assistance organization, that offers legal help to the poor, has estimated the overall count of casualties at 132.

Based on expert analysis, the criminal organization is the only criminal group which in recent years has been able to increase its control in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

It is generally regarded among the biggest criminal organizations in the country, together with First Capital Command, with a background dating back more than 50 years.

Per Brazilian journalist a specialist, with extensive experience documenting criminal activity in the city over many years, the gang "works as a system" with local criminal leaders affiliating with the group and becoming "operational allies".

The organization concentrates largely on narcotics distribution, but also smuggles firearms, gold, energy resources, alcohol and tobacco.

According to the authorities, organization members have substantial firearms and authorities stated that while the action was underway, they came under attack using drone-delivered explosives.

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

Nevertheless, the total of casualties in the security action has faced scrutiny with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights stating they were "appalled".

In a media appearance on Wednesday, Governor Castro defended the police force.

"It wasn't our intention to result in deaths. We wanted to take suspects into custody without harm," he said.

He continued that the events intensified because the suspects resisted aggressively: "It resulted of the resistance they implemented and the excessive violence from the gang members."

The state leader additionally stated that the casualties presented by community members in the area had been "tampered with".

Via a statement on online platforms, he asserted that some of them had been removed of the camouflage clothing that he stated they possessed "to transfer accusation toward law enforcement".

A police official from the police department further reported that "camouflage clothing, body armor, and weapons" were taken away from the bodies and displayed evidence appearing to show a person cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse