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The photographer

An eyewitness who witnessed the results of a massive security raid in the Brazilian city has reported how community members brought back badly injured victims of people who lost their lives.

The victims "kept coming: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45...", Bruno Itan reported. The total contained those of police officers.

One individual was found without a head - while others appeared "severely damaged", he explained. Many also had what he described as blade trauma.

Over 120 individuals were killed during Tuesday's raid against a criminal group - the deadliest such raid in the city.

Bruno Itan stated that he was first alerted concerning the action early on Tuesday by community members from the Alemão area, who contacted him telling him an armed confrontation was occurring.

The reporter traveled to a local medical facility, where the victims were being brought.

Itan explained that security forces blocked media personnel from accessing the operation zone, where the security measures were occurring.

"Security forces created a barrier and announced: 'Journalists cannot proceed beyond this point'."

Nevertheless, the eyewitness, who spent his childhood in the community, reported he managed to gain access past the security perimeter, where he remained through the night.

He described that evening, local residents started looking the hillside which divides the Penha neighborhood from the neighboring Alemão community for loved ones who had been missing following the security action.

Community members of the Penha neighbourhood arranged the recovered bodies in a public space - and Itan's photos display the response of the gathered crowd.

"The harsh reality of it all affected me a lot: the grief of the families, parents losing consciousness, pregnant wives, weeping, furious relatives," the reporter recounted.

Bruno Itan

The governor of Rio state declared that the extensive law enforcement effort involving around 2,500 officers was aimed at preventing an illegal organization called Red Command from increasing their control.

Originally, local officials maintained that sixty alleged criminals along with four officers" had been killed during the action.

They have since said that their "preliminary" count shows that 117 alleged criminals lost their lives.

The legal assistance organization, that gives legal support to disadvantaged individuals, has calculated the overall count of fatalities to be 132.

Per investigative findings, the criminal organization is the only criminal group that recently has been able to expand its territory across the region.

Experts commonly view one of the two largest gangs in the country, in company with a rival criminal group, with a background dating back more than 50 years.

Per correspondent Rafael Soares, who has been covering crime in Rio over many years, the gang "works as a system" with local criminal leaders affiliating with the group and acting as "commercial associates".

The gang focuses mainly on illegal drug trade, while also dealing in guns, precious metals, fuel, beverages smoking products.

Per law enforcement statements, organization members possess significant weaponry and police said that during the raid, they came under attack from explosive-laden drones.

The state leader of Rio state, Cláudio Castro, described Red Command members as "narcoterrorists" and called the security forces who died during the operation as brave public servants.

Nevertheless, the total of casualties in the security action has faced scrutiny from international human rights authorities expressing they felt "horrified".

During a press briefing the next day, Governor Castro defended the police force.

"We did not plan to kill anyone. We wanted to take suspects into custody without harm," he declared.

He further explained that the situation worsened as the individuals resisted aggressively: "It was a consequence of the counterattack they carried out and the disproportionate use of force from the gang members."

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

Through a message on online platforms, he asserted that certain victims had been taken of the camouflage clothing he said they had been wearing "to transfer accusation onto the police".

A police official representing security forces also said that military attire, protective equipment, and firearms" were taken away from the bodies and presented video apparently demonstrating an individual removing tactical gear {off a corpse