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The photographer

An eyewitness who documented the results of a massive law enforcement action in the Brazilian city has described how community members returned with disfigured remains of people who lost their lives.

The casualties "kept piling up: the count kept increasing", Bruno Itan reported. Among them were security forces.

One of the bodies was discovered headless - others were "totally disfigured", he reported. Many also had what he described as knife injuries.

Over 120 individuals were killed in the Tuesday operation targeting an illegal organization - the bloodiest action in the city.

The eyewitness reported that he was first alerted concerning the action in the early hours by residents of the Alemão neighbourhood, who contacted him informing him an armed confrontation was occurring.

The photographer went to the Getúlio Vargas hospital, where the victims were coming in.

Itan explained that law enforcement prevented journalists from going into the operation zone, where the operation were occurring.

"Police officers established a perimeter and said: 'Media representatives doesn't get past here'."

Nevertheless, the eyewitness, who was raised in the community, reported he managed to enter into the restricted zone, where he continued through the night.

He reported that Tuesday night, area inhabitants began to search the mountainous area that borders the Penha neighborhood from the adjacent Alemão area for family members who were unaccounted for after the operation.

Local people of the Penha neighbourhood arranged the located casualties in an open area - the photographer's images display the reaction of the gathered crowd.

"The brutality of the situation impacted me profoundly: the pain of loved ones, mothers fainting, women carrying children, sobbing, furious relatives," the photographer recalled.

The photographer

The governor of Rio state declared that the massive police operation with approximately 2,500 security personnel was aimed at preventing a gang called the criminal faction from expanding its territory.

At first, local officials maintained that "60 suspects along with four officers" had been killed in the raid.

Authorities later reported that early calculations suggests that 117 alleged criminals were fatally injured.

The public legal service, that gives legal support to low-income residents, has put the total number of casualties as 132.

According to researchers, the gang stands as the sole illegal faction that recently has succeeded to increase its control in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

Experts commonly view as a major illegal faction in the country, together with another major gang, featuring a timeline dating back more than 50 years.

According to correspondent an expert, who has long reported on crime in Rio for years, the criminal organization "works as a system" with local criminal leaders affiliating with the group and becoming "commercial associates".

The criminal group focuses mainly on illegal drug trade, additionally trafficking firearms, gold, fuel, beverages cigarettes.

Per law enforcement statements, criminal affiliates possess significant weaponry and police said that throughout the operation, they faced assaults from explosive-laden drones.

The state leader of Rio state, Cláudio Castro, described gang affiliates as drug terrorists and called the security forces fatally injured in the action as "heroes".

Nevertheless, the total of casualties during the raid has come in for criticism from UN human rights officials saying it was "horrified".

During a press briefing the next day, Governor Castro supported law enforcement.

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

He added that the situation had escalated because the suspects had retaliated: "It occurred of the counterattack they implemented and the overwhelming response from the gang members."

The governor additionally stated that the victims presented by community members in the area had been "manipulated".

Through a message through digital channels, he said that some of them had been stripped of the camouflage clothing he said they had been wearing "to transfer accusation to security forces".

Felipe Curi representing security forces further reported that tactical gear, body armor, and weapons" were stripped from the casualties and presented video apparently demonstrating an individual cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse