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Bruno Itan

A photographer who observed the results of a large-scale security raid in Rio de Janeiro has recounted how local people returned with mutilated bodies of the deceased individuals.

The victims "kept piling up: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45...", the eyewitness reported. They included security forces.

A particular victim had been decapitated - while others appeared "totally disfigured", he reported. Numerous victims displayed what appeared to be blade trauma.

In excess of 120 victims lost their lives during Tuesday's raid against a criminal group - the bloodiest action in the city.

Bruno Itan reported that he initially learned concerning the action early on Tuesday by residents from the Alemão area, who contacted him alerting him there was a shoot-out.

The photographer traveled to the healthcare center, where the victims were being brought.

Itan explained that the police stopped members of the press from going into the affected area, where the security measures was under way.

"Law enforcement personnel created a barrier and declared: 'Media representatives cannot proceed beyond this point'."

Nevertheless, the eyewitness, who grew up in the community, reported he succeeded to make his way into the restricted zone, where he remained until dawn.

He described that Tuesday night, local residents started looking the elevated terrain that borders the Penha neighborhood from the adjacent Alemão area for relatives whose whereabouts were unknown after the operation.

Residents living in Penha arranged the located casualties in an open area - the documented evidence display the emotions of the people there.

"The violence of what occurred affected me a lot: the pain of loved ones, mothers fainting, women carrying children, sobbing, angry family members," the reporter recounted.

Bruno Itan

The governor of the region declared that the massive police operation deploying about 2,500 law enforcement members was aimed at halting a gang called the criminal faction from growing their influence.

At first, state authorities stated that "60 suspects and four police officers" were fatally injured in the operation.

Authorities later reported that their "preliminary" count suggests that 117 individuals lost their lives.

The public legal service, that offers legal help to low-income residents, has put the final tally of casualties to be 132.

According to researchers, the criminal organization represents the unique criminal entity that recently has been able to make territorial gains across the region.

It is widely considered one of the two largest gangs in Brazil, in company with a rival criminal group, with a background dating back more than 50 years.

Per reporter Rafael Soares, who has been covering crime in Rio over many years, Red Command "works as a system" with neighborhood bosses joining the organization and becoming "operational allies".

The gang engages primarily in narcotics distribution, while also dealing in weapons, gold, fuel, liquor cigarettes.

According to the authorities, criminal affiliates have substantial firearms and officials reported that during the raid, they encountered resistance from explosive-laden drones.

The official of the region, Cláudio Castro, characterized gang affiliates as criminal extremists and described the law enforcement personnel killed in the raid as brave public servants.

However, the count of people killed in the operation has come in for criticism with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights expressing they felt "appalled".

At a news conference on Wednesday, the state leader supported law enforcement.

"It wasn't our intention to kill anyone. We wanted to take suspects into custody without harm," he declared.

He added that the events intensified as the individuals resisted aggressively: "It resulted of the counterattack they executed and the excessive violence from the gang members."

The state leader further reported that the casualties shown by residents in the neighborhood had been "manipulated".

Via a statement through digital channels, he said that certain victims had been stripped of military-style attire that he stated they possessed "to transfer accusation onto the police".

A police official representing security forces additionally stated that military attire, protective equipment, and firearms" were taken away from the victims and displayed evidence seemingly depicting an individual stripping military attire {off a corpse