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Bruno Itan

A reporter who documented the consequences of an extensive Brazilian police operation in the Brazilian city has described how residents returned with mutilated bodies of people who lost their lives.

The victims "continued arriving: the numbers kept rising", the photographer stated. Among them were those of police officers.

One individual had been decapitated - while others appeared "totally disfigured", he explained. Numerous victims displayed what he described as blade trauma.

Over 120 individuals lost their lives during Tuesday's raid targeting an illegal organization - the deadliest such raid in the city.

The eyewitness stated that he was first alerted concerning the action early on Tuesday by residents living in Alemão, who sent him messages informing him gunfire had erupted.

The reporter traveled to a local medical facility, where the victims were arriving.

Itan explained that the police blocked media personnel from accessing the operation zone, where the operation were occurring.

"Law enforcement personnel formed a line and announced: 'Media representatives cannot proceed beyond this point'."

However, the photographer, who spent his childhood in that neighborhood, stated he was able to gain access past the security perimeter, where he remained through the night.

He explained during the night, community members started looking the mountainous area that separates the community of Penha and the neighboring Alemão community for relatives whose whereabouts were unknown following the security action.

Local people of the Penha neighbourhood arranged the discovered victims in a square - the photographer's images reveal the emotions of the people there.

"The violence of what occurred impacted me a lot: the sorrow of the families, parents losing consciousness, expectant spouses, weeping, outraged parents," the eyewitness remembered.

The eyewitness

The state leader of the region stated that the extensive law enforcement effort with approximately 2,500 security personnel was designed to halting a criminal group called the criminal faction from expanding its territory.

Originally, the Rio state government maintained that sixty individuals and four police officers" were fatally injured in the raid.

Authorities later reported that initial estimates suggests that 117 alleged criminals were fatally injured.

The legal assistance organization, that gives legal support to low-income residents, has estimated the total number of fatalities at 132.

Based on expert analysis, Red Command stands as the sole illegal faction that in the past few years has succeeded to make territorial gains across the region.

It is widely considered among the biggest criminal organizations nationally, in company with another major gang, with a background dating back more than 50 years.

According to correspondent an expert, with extensive experience documenting crime in Rio for years, the criminal organization "works as a system" with neighborhood bosses affiliating with the group and becoming "operational allies".

The organization focuses mainly on narcotics distribution, additionally trafficking guns, precious metals, petroleum products, beverages and tobacco.

According to the authorities, organization members possess significant weaponry and police said that during the raid, they encountered resistance from explosive-laden drones.

The official of the state, the government representative, labeled organization participants as "narcoterrorists" and referred to the four police officers killed in the raid as brave public servants.

But the number of people killed in the security action has come in for criticism with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights stating they were "appalled".

At a news conference the next day, the state leader supported law enforcement.

"It wasn't our intention to kill anyone. We aimed to arrest them all alive," he said.

He continued that the circumstances had escalated due to the alleged criminals had retaliated: "It was a consequence of the retaliation they executed and the disproportionate use of force by those criminals."

The governor additionally stated that the casualties shown by residents in the area were "altered".

In a post on online platforms, he asserted that particular individuals had been removed of the camouflage clothing that he stated they possessed "to transfer accusation toward law enforcement".

A law enforcement representative from the police department additionally stated that tactical gear, vests, and weapons" were taken away from the bodies and displayed evidence seemingly depicting a person cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse