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Bruno Itan

An eyewitness who observed the consequences of a large-scale security raid in the Brazilian city has described how local people returned with badly injured victims of those who had died.

The victims "continued arriving: the numbers kept rising", the photographer reported. They included those of police officers.

One of the bodies was discovered headless - while others appeared "completely mutilated", he reported. Several bodies showed evidence of stab wounds.

In excess of 120 victims were killed during the security action against a criminal group - the bloodiest action in the city.

The eyewitness reported that he initially learned to the raid Tuesday morning by local people of the Alemão neighbourhood, who reached out informing him gunfire had erupted.

The photographer made his way to the Getúlio Vargas hospital, where the victims were arriving.

The photographer stated that the police stopped members of the press from entering the affected area, where the police action were taking place.

"Law enforcement personnel formed a line and said: 'The press doesn't get past here'."

However, the photographer, who was raised in the area, stated he succeeded to enter into the cordoned-off area, where he continued through the night.

He described during the night, area inhabitants commenced searching the elevated terrain that borders Penha from the adjacent Alemão area for relatives whose whereabouts were unknown after the operation.

Residents living in Penha arranged the recovered bodies in an open area - and Itan's photos reveal the reaction of those present.

"The violence of the situation impacted me profoundly: the sorrow of relatives, women collapsing, expectant spouses, crying, furious relatives," the photographer recalled.

The photographer

The governor of the region declared that the large-scale security action with approximately 2,500 officers was intended to preventing an illegal organization known as Red Command from expanding its territory.

Initially, state authorities maintained that sixty individuals plus four law enforcement personnel" were fatally injured in the raid.

They have since said that their "preliminary" count indicates that 117 alleged criminals lost their lives.

Rio's public defender's office, that gives legal support to low-income residents, has estimated the total number of fatalities at 132.

According to researchers, the gang is the only criminal group that recently has succeeded to make territorial gains in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

Experts commonly view as a major illegal faction nationally, in company with First Capital Command, featuring a timeline dating back more than 50 years.

Based on Brazilian journalist a specialist, who has been covering crime in Rio over many years, the gang "operates like a franchise" with local criminal leaders affiliating with the group and serving as "commercial associates".

The organization focuses mainly on drug trafficking, while also dealing in guns, valuable minerals, fuel, liquor cigarettes.

Based on official reports, criminal affiliates have substantial firearms and officials reported that during the raid, they came under attack via weaponized unmanned aircraft.

The governor of Rio state, the political leader, characterized organization participants as drug terrorists and described the law enforcement personnel fatally injured in the action as "heroes".

However, the count of fatalities during the raid has faced scrutiny from international human rights authorities expressing they felt "horrified".

During a press briefing the next day, the state leader supported law enforcement.

"It wasn't our intention to result in deaths. We intended to take suspects into custody without harm," he declared.

He added that the events intensified due to the alleged criminals fought back: "It was a consequence of the resistance they carried out and the excessive violence by those criminals."

The state leader additionally stated that the casualties presented by community members in Penha had been "tampered with".

Through a message on social media, he claimed that certain victims had been taken of the camouflage clothing that he stated they possessed "to transfer accusation onto the police".

A law enforcement representative of Rio's civil police force further reported that tactical gear, vests, and arms" had been removed from the bodies and presented video seemingly depicting a man stripping military attire {off a corpse