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The photographer

A photographer who witnessed the aftermath of an extensive Brazilian police operation in the metropolitan area has reported how local people brought back mutilated bodies of those who had died.

The casualties "kept piling up: the count kept increasing", Bruno Itan stated. The total contained law enforcement personnel.

A particular victim was discovered headless - while others appeared "severely damaged", he said. Several bodies showed what he described as stab wounds.

Over 120 individuals were killed in the Tuesday operation targeting an illegal organization - the bloodiest action in the city.

The eyewitness stated that he was first alerted to the raid Tuesday morning by residents of the Alemão neighbourhood, who sent him messages alerting him gunfire had erupted.

The reporter made his way to the Getúlio Vargas hospital, where the victims were coming in.

Itan explained that the police stopped members of the press from entering the operation zone, where the operation was under way.

"Security forces formed a line and announced: 'Media representatives cannot proceed beyond this point'."

However, the photographer, who grew up in the community, stated he managed to enter into the restricted zone, where he continued until the next morning.

He described during the night, area inhabitants commenced searching the hillside which divides the Penha neighborhood from the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for relatives who had been missing following the security action.

Community members of the Penha neighbourhood organized the located casualties in a public space - the photographer's images reveal the response of the gathered crowd.

"The violence of it all impacted me a lot: the grief of relatives, mothers fainting, expectant spouses, crying, furious relatives," the photographer recalled.

The eyewitness

The official of the state declared that the large-scale security action with approximately 2,500 officers was aimed at preventing a criminal group referred to as Red Command from growing their influence.

Initially, state authorities stated that sixty alleged criminals along with four officers" had been killed in the raid.

Authorities later reported that early calculations indicates that 117 individuals were fatally injured.

The public legal service, that gives legal support to the poor, has put the final tally of fatalities to be 132.

Per investigative findings, Red Command stands as the sole illegal faction that recently has succeeded to make territorial gains throughout Rio state.

Experts commonly view one of the two largest gangs in Brazil, in company with another major gang, and has a history extending half a century.

Based on correspondent an expert, with extensive experience documenting crime in Rio for years, the criminal organization "operates like a franchise" with local criminal leaders joining the organization and serving as "operational allies".

The criminal group focuses mainly on illegal drug trade, additionally trafficking guns, precious metals, petroleum products, alcohol smoking products.

Based on official reports, criminal affiliates have substantial firearms and police said that throughout the operation, they faced assaults from explosive-laden drones.

The governor of Rio state, Cláudio Castro, labeled gang affiliates as "narcoterrorists" and referred to the law enforcement personnel fatally injured in the action as courageous individuals.

But the number of fatalities during the raid has come in for criticism with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights expressing they felt "appalled".

In a media appearance on Wednesday, the state leader supported law enforcement.

"There was no objective to cause fatalities. We intended to take suspects into custody without harm," he stated.

He continued that the events intensified as the individuals resisted aggressively: "It resulted of the counterattack they carried out and the excessive violence by those criminals."

The governor further reported that the victims shown by residents in the neighborhood had been "manipulated".

In a post on social media, he said that some of them had been taken of tactical gear he said they had been wearing "to transfer accusation toward law enforcement".

A law enforcement representative of Rio's civil police force further reported that "camouflage clothing, body armor, and firearms" were stripped from the casualties and presented video seemingly depicting a person removing tactical gear {off a corpse