A photographer who witnessed the aftermath of a massive Brazilian police operation in Rio de Janeiro has told the BBC how residents came back with mutilated bodies of those who had died.
The bodies kept coming: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45..., Bruno Itan told BBC Brasil. They included those of police officers.
One of the bodies had been decapitated - others were totally disfigured, he said. Many also had what he says were stab wounds.
More than 120 people were killed during Tuesday's raid on a criminal gang - the deadliest such raid in the city.
Bruno Itan said he was first alerted to the raid early on Tuesday by residents of the Alemão neighbourhood, who sent him messages telling him there was a shoot-out.
Struggling to access the scene, Itan managed to enter the Penha neighbourhood, where futile searches for the missing became desperate as night fell.
The governor of Rio state defended the police force's actions, stating the operation aimed to dismantle the criminal organization Comando Vermelho, asserting that they did not intend to kill anyone. However, escalating violence provoked by armed gang members complicated the operation.
Criticism has emerged from rights groups and the United Nations, with reports of high casualties prompting demands for a thorough investigation into the police's excessive use of force.
