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Bruno Itan

A reporter who documented the aftermath of a large-scale Brazilian police operation in Rio de Janeiro has reported how residents came back with disfigured remains of those who had died.

The victims "continued arriving: the count kept increasing", the photographer described. Among them were security forces.

A particular victim was found without a head - additional victims were "totally disfigured", he explained. Numerous victims displayed what he described as stab wounds.

In excess of 120 victims were killed during Tuesday's raid against a criminal group - the deadliest such raid the municipality has seen.

The photographer explained that he initially learned concerning the action early on Tuesday by community members from the Alemão area, who sent him messages informing him gunfire had erupted.

The photographer made his way to a local medical facility, where the victims were being brought.

The eyewitness reported that the police prevented journalists from accessing the affected area, where the police action were occurring.

"Law enforcement personnel formed a line and said: 'Media representatives cannot proceed beyond this point'."

Nevertheless, the eyewitness, who grew up in the area, stated he succeeded to gain access into the restricted zone, where he remained until the next morning.

He described that evening, area inhabitants started looking the hillside that borders the community of Penha and the adjacent Alemão area for relatives who had been missing following the security action.

Local people living in Penha arranged the discovered victims in a public space - the documented evidence show the response of the people there.

"The harsh reality of it all affected me deeply: the pain of relatives, mothers fainting, expectant spouses, crying, furious relatives," the photographer recalled.

The eyewitness

The state leader of the state stated that the large-scale security action deploying about 2,500 law enforcement members was designed to halting a criminal group called Red Command from expanding its territory.

Originally, the Rio state government claimed that "60 suspects and four police officers" lost their lives in the raid.

They have since said that early calculations suggests that 117 individuals were fatally injured.

The legal assistance organization, that gives legal support to low-income residents, has put the overall count of fatalities at 132.

Based on expert analysis, the gang is the only criminal group that in the past few years has been able to make territorial gains in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

It is widely considered among the biggest criminal organizations in the country, together with a rival criminal group, and has a history spanning over five decades.

According to reporter Rafael Soares, with extensive experience documenting illegal operations in Rio for years, Red Command "operates like a franchise" with area gang leaders joining the organization and becoming "operational allies".

The criminal group engages primarily in illegal drug trade, additionally trafficking weapons, precious metals, petroleum products, beverages and tobacco.

Based on official reports, gang members have substantial firearms and officials reported that during the raid, they encountered resistance from explosive-laden drones.

The state leader of the region, the political leader, described Red Command members as drug terrorists and called the law enforcement personnel fatally injured in the action as courageous individuals.

However, the count of people killed in the security action has received condemnation from UN human rights officials stating they were "appalled".

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

"We did not plan to cause fatalities. We intended to take suspects into custody without harm," he stated.

He further explained that the circumstances had escalated because the suspects had retaliated: "It was a consequence of the retaliation they executed and the disproportionate use of force by the illegal group."

The official also said that the victims shown by residents in the neighborhood had been "tampered with".

Via a statement on social media, he said that certain victims had been stripped of the camouflage clothing which he claimed they wore "to transfer accusation toward law enforcement".

A law enforcement representative representing security forces further reported that "camouflage clothing, body armor, and arms" were stripped from the bodies and showed footage apparently demonstrating an individual removing tactical gear {off a corpse