🔗 Share this article The casualties continued piling up - photographer recounts fatal Rio security action Bruno Itan Multiple casualties were arranged in a square in Penha in the wake of the most lethal operation Rio has ever seen A reporter who witnessed the aftermath of a large-scale law enforcement action in the metropolitan area has recounted how community members came back with mutilated bodies of those who had died. The victims "continued arriving: the numbers kept rising", the eyewitness stated. Among them were security forces. One of the bodies was discovered headless - while others appeared "severely damaged", he reported. Several bodies showed evidence of blade trauma. In excess of 120 victims were fatally injured during the security action targeting an illegal organization - the deadliest such raid in the city. In excess of 100 suspects were taken into custody as part of the operation The eyewitness stated that residents first notified him concerning the action early on Tuesday by community members from the Alemão area, who contacted him alerting him gunfire had erupted. The photographer went to the Getúlio Vargas hospital, where the bodies were being brought. The photographer stated that security forces prevented journalists from accessing the Penha neighborhood, where the security measures were occurring. "Police officers created a barrier and declared: 'Media representatives are not allowed to pass'." But Itan, who was raised in the area, explained he managed to make his way into the cordoned-off area, where he remained until dawn. He reported during the night, local residents commenced searching the elevated terrain that borders Penha from the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for loved ones whose whereabouts were unknown after the operation. Community members from the Penha area arranged the located casualties in a square - and Itan's photos reveal the reaction of the people there. "The violence of it all shook me a lot: the pain of relatives, parents losing consciousness, women carrying children, sobbing, angry family members," the reporter recounted. The photographer There was shock in the neighborhood as locals found additional victims from the nearby hillside The official of the region announced that the large-scale security action with approximately 2,500 officers was aimed at preventing a gang called the criminal faction from growing their influence. Originally, state authorities claimed that sixty individuals along with four officers" had been killed during the action. Authorities later reported that initial estimates shows that 117 "suspects" lost their lives. The public legal service, that offers legal help to disadvantaged individuals, has calculated the overall count of casualties as 132. Per investigative findings, the criminal organization is the only criminal group that recently has succeeded to increase its control in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Experts commonly view one of the two largest gangs in the country, together with First Capital Command, with a background dating back more than 50 years. According to reporter a specialist, who has long reported on illegal operations in Rio for years, Red Command "operates like a franchise" with area gang leaders forming part of the gang and serving as "commercial associates". The gang concentrates largely on illegal drug trade, but also smuggles guns, precious metals, petroleum products, liquor and tobacco. Per law enforcement statements, gang members are well armed and authorities stated that during the raid, they faced assaults via weaponized unmanned aircraft. The governor of the state, the political leader, characterized Red Command members as "narcoterrorists" and called the four police officers fatally injured in the action as "heroes". But the number of people killed during the raid has come in for criticism from UN human rights officials expressing they felt "appalled". In a media appearance on Wednesday, Governor Castro justified security actions. "There was no objective to kill anyone. We wanted to detain everyone safely," he declared. He further explained that the events had escalated as the individuals fought back: "It was a consequence of the resistance they implemented and the excessive violence by those criminals." The state leader further reported that the casualties presented by community members in Penha had been "manipulated". Through a message on social media, he asserted that certain victims had been stripped of tactical gear he said they had been wearing "to redirect responsibility toward law enforcement". A law enforcement representative representing security forces further reported that tactical gear, body armor, and firearms" were taken away from the bodies and showed footage seemingly depicting a man stripping military attire {off a corpse