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Bruno Itan

A reporter who witnessed the results of a large-scale law enforcement action in Rio de Janeiro has reported how residents brought back disfigured remains of those who had died.

The bodies "kept piling up: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45...", the eyewitness stated. Among them were those of police officers.

One individual had been decapitated - others were "severely damaged", he explained. Numerous victims displayed evidence of stab wounds.

In excess of 120 victims lost their lives during Tuesday's raid against a criminal group - the bloodiest action in the city.

The photographer explained that he was first alerted to the raid Tuesday morning by residents living in Alemão, who reached out alerting him there was a shoot-out.

The photographer went to the Getúlio Vargas hospital, where the casualties were arriving.

The photographer stated that law enforcement prevented journalists from entering the operation zone, where the security measures were taking place.

"Security forces created a barrier and said: 'The press doesn't get past here'."

However, the photographer, who grew up in the community, reported he succeeded to make his way into the restricted zone, where he remained until dawn.

He described that Tuesday night, local residents began to search the mountainous area which divides Penha from the neighboring Alemão community for family members who were unaccounted for following the security action.

Residents living in Penha arranged the discovered victims in a public space - and Itan's photos reveal the reaction of the gathered crowd.

"The harsh reality of what occurred affected me deeply: the sorrow of relatives, women collapsing, pregnant wives, weeping, outraged parents," the reporter recounted.

Bruno Itan

The official of the state announced that the large-scale security action involving around 2,500 law enforcement members was aimed at halting a criminal group called Comando Vermelho from growing their influence.

Originally, state authorities claimed that "60 suspects and four police officers" had been killed in the raid.

Authorities later reported that initial estimates indicates that 117 alleged criminals have been killed.

Rio's public defender's office, which provides legal assistance to low-income residents, has put the overall count of people killed to be 132.

Per investigative findings, the criminal organization represents the unique criminal entity that in the past few years has succeeded to expand its territory in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

It is widely considered one of the two largest gangs nationally, in company with a rival criminal group, and has a history spanning over five decades.

Per Brazilian journalist Rafael Soares, who has been covering illegal operations in Rio for years, the gang "works as a system" with neighborhood bosses affiliating with the group and acting as "operational allies".

The organization concentrates largely on narcotics distribution, additionally trafficking weapons, valuable minerals, petroleum products, liquor smoking products.

Based on official reports, gang members have substantial firearms and authorities stated that while the action was underway, they faced assaults using drone-delivered explosives.

The governor of the region, the political leader, characterized Red Command members as criminal extremists and called the four police officers fatally injured in the action as "heroes".

However, the count of casualties in the operation has received condemnation from international human rights authorities expressing they felt "shocked".

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

"There was no objective to kill anyone. We intended to detain everyone safely," he declared.

He further explained that the circumstances had escalated as the individuals had retaliated: "It resulted of the retaliation they carried out and the disproportionate use of force by the illegal group."

The governor also said that the bodies presented by community members in the area had been "tampered with".

Via a statement through digital channels, he claimed that some of them had been stripped of military-style attire that he stated they possessed "to redirect responsibility toward law enforcement".

A police official from the police department additionally stated that tactical gear, protective equipment, and firearms" were taken away from the bodies and presented video appearing to show a person stripping military attire {off a corpse