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The eyewitness

A photographer who observed the aftermath of an extensive law enforcement action in Rio de Janeiro has recounted how local people returned with disfigured remains of people who lost their lives.

The casualties "kept piling up: the count kept increasing", the photographer reported. They included law enforcement personnel.

One individual had been decapitated - others were "severely damaged", he reported. Numerous victims displayed what he described as blade trauma.

In excess of 120 victims were fatally injured during Tuesday's raid targeting an illegal organization - the deadliest such raid in the city.

The eyewitness stated that residents first notified him to the raid in the early hours by local people living in Alemão, who contacted him alerting him an armed confrontation was occurring.

The photographer made his way to a local medical facility, where the bodies were arriving.

The photographer stated that security forces stopped members of the press from accessing the affected area, where the police action was under way.

"Police officers created a barrier and declared: 'Journalists doesn't get past here'."

But Itan, who spent his childhood in the area, stated he was able to enter past the security perimeter, where he remained until the next morning.

He described during the night, community members commenced searching the hillside which divides the community of Penha and the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for loved ones who had been missing since the police raid.

Local people of the Penha neighbourhood arranged the located casualties in a square - the photographer's images show the reaction of the gathered crowd.

"The brutality of it all affected me a lot: the pain of relatives, mothers fainting, pregnant wives, weeping, furious relatives," the reporter recounted.

Bruno Itan

The state leader of the state announced that the large-scale security action involving around 2,500 officers was designed to halting a gang known as Red Command from growing their influence.

Initially, local officials claimed that "60 suspects plus four law enforcement personnel" were fatally injured in the raid.

Officials subsequently stated that initial estimates suggests that 117 alleged criminals were fatally injured.

The public legal service, that gives legal support to disadvantaged individuals, has estimated the total number of fatalities as 132.

According to researchers, the gang stands as the sole illegal faction that in the past few years has managed to expand its territory in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

Experts commonly view among the biggest criminal organizations in the country, in company with a rival criminal group, featuring a timeline dating back more than 50 years.

According to Brazilian journalist an expert, with extensive experience documenting crime in Rio extensively, the gang "operates like a franchise" with local criminal leaders joining the organization and serving as "operational allies".

The organization concentrates largely on narcotics distribution, additionally trafficking weapons, gold, energy resources, alcohol cigarettes.

Based on official reports, criminal affiliates are well armed and authorities stated that while the action was underway, they came under attack using drone-delivered explosives.

The official of the state, the government representative, labeled organization participants as criminal extremists and called the security forces fatally injured in the action as brave public servants.

Nevertheless, the total of casualties in the operation has come in for criticism from international human rights authorities saying it was "horrified".

In a media appearance the next day, the official justified security actions.

"We did not plan to result in deaths. We intended to detain everyone safely," he stated.

He further explained that the situation worsened due to the alleged criminals had retaliated: "It was a consequence of the retaliation they carried out and the excessive violence by those criminals."

The state leader additionally stated that the victims shown by residents in Penha had been "manipulated".

In a post through digital channels, he asserted that some of them had been removed of military-style attire that he stated they possessed "in order to shift blame toward law enforcement".

A police official representing security forces also said that tactical gear, body armor, and weapons" were stripped from the bodies and displayed evidence appearing to show a person cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse