Tragic Aftermath of Rio de Janeiro Police Raid: Eyewitness Accounts

Sat Dec 20 2025 21:47:17 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

A devastating police operation in Rio de Janeiro results in a shocking death toll, as eyewitness accounts emerge detailing the gruesome aftermath. Photographer Bruno Itan captures the harrowing scenes faced by local residents and families as they deal with the loss of their loved ones.

In what is reported as the deadliest police raid in Rio de Janeiro’s history, over 120 lives were claimed during a confrontation with a notorious criminal gang. Eyewitness Bruno Itan recounted the horrifying experience of seeing residents recover mutilated bodies, stirring profound grief within the community.

A photographer who witnessed the aftermath of a massive Brazilian police operation in Rio de Janeiro has told the BBC of 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.

Grieving — Dozens of bodies were laid out in a square in Penha after the deadly police raid.

Bruno Itan told BBC Brasil that 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. The photographer made his way to the Getúlio Vargas hospital, where the bodies were arriving.

Itan says that police stopped members of the press from entering the Penha neighbourhood, where the operation was ongoing, stating plainly: 'The press doesn't get past here.' However, he, having grown up in the area, managed to slip into the cordoned-off area where he would remain until the next morning.

As night fell, local residents began searching the hillside separating Penha from Alemão for relatives who had been missing since the operation. Their emotional toll became evident as they gathered the bodies and placed them in a public square.

The situation has drawn widespread criticism, with state officials initially claiming about 60 suspects and four police officers had died, but the toll has since risen significantly. The public defender's office estimates 132 fatalities.

The governor of Rio, Cláudio Castro, claimed the operation's primary intention was to curtail the activities of the infamous Comando Vermelho gang, but the excessive loss of life raises serious concerns about police conduct and human rights violations.

This tragic incident highlights the ongoing violence and chaotic dynamics between law enforcement and criminal organizations in Rio de Janeiro, leaving communities devastated and searching for accountability.