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Bruno Itan

An eyewitness who observed the consequences of a large-scale security raid in the Brazilian city has reported how residents brought back badly injured victims of those who had died.

The bodies "kept piling up: the count kept increasing", the eyewitness stated. They included those of police officers.

A particular victim was discovered headless - additional victims were "totally disfigured", he reported. Many also had what he described as knife injuries.

More than 120 people lost their lives during the security action on a criminal gang - the deadliest such raid in the city.

The photographer stated that he initially learned to the raid Tuesday morning by community members living in Alemão, who contacted him informing him an armed confrontation was occurring.

The photographer went to the healthcare center, where the casualties were coming in.

The eyewitness reported that law enforcement blocked media personnel from going into the affected area, where the police action were taking place.

"Law enforcement personnel created a barrier and announced: 'Journalists are not allowed to pass'."

Nevertheless, the eyewitness, who was raised in the community, reported he succeeded to gain access into the cordoned-off area, where he continued until dawn.

He explained during the night, community members commenced searching the elevated terrain which divides the community of Penha and the adjacent Alemão area for family members whose whereabouts were unknown following the security action.

Local people living in Penha arranged the discovered victims in a square - and Itan's photos reveal the emotions of the people there.

"The violence of the situation affected me deeply: the pain of the families, mothers fainting, pregnant wives, sobbing, furious relatives," the reporter recounted.

The photographer

The state leader of Rio state declared that the large-scale security action involving around 2,500 law enforcement members was aimed at stopping an illegal organization known as Red Command from growing their influence.

Initially, state authorities maintained that "60 suspects along with four officers" were fatally injured during the action.

They have since said that early calculations suggests that 117 "suspects" lost their lives.

The legal assistance organization, that offers legal help to low-income residents, has estimated the overall count of fatalities to be 132.

Based on expert analysis, the gang stands as the sole illegal faction that in the past few years has managed to increase its control across the region.

It is generally regarded one of the two largest gangs nationally, together with First Capital Command, with a background extending half a century.

Based on Brazilian journalist an expert, who has long reported on crime in Rio for years, the gang "functions as a network" with local criminal leaders joining the organization and becoming "business partners".

The criminal group engages primarily in illegal drug trade, while also dealing in guns, precious metals, petroleum products, liquor and tobacco.

According to the authorities, criminal affiliates possess significant weaponry and officials reported that during the raid, they came under attack via weaponized unmanned aircraft.

The state leader of the state, the government representative, labeled organization participants as "narcoterrorists" and called the security forces who died during the operation as courageous individuals.

Nevertheless, the total of people killed in the security action has faced scrutiny from UN human rights officials stating they were "appalled".

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

"It wasn't our intention to result in deaths. We intended to arrest them all alive," he declared.

He added that the events intensified because the suspects resisted aggressively: "It was a consequence of the counterattack they carried out and the excessive violence by the illegal group."

The official further reported that the casualties shown by residents in Penha had been "tampered with".

Through a message on online platforms, he said that certain victims had been taken of tactical gear which he claimed they wore "in order to shift blame toward law enforcement".

A law enforcement representative of Rio's civil police force further reported that tactical gear, vests, and weapons" were stripped from the victims and showed footage appearing to show an individual cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse