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The eyewitness

An eyewitness who witnessed the consequences of a large-scale Brazilian police operation in the metropolitan area has recounted how residents brought back mutilated bodies of the deceased individuals.

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

One of the bodies was found without a head - while others appeared "totally disfigured", he explained. Several bodies showed what he described as blade trauma.

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

Bruno Itan reported that he was first alerted to the raid in the early hours by community members from the Alemão area, who reached out telling him there was a shoot-out.

The eyewitness went to a local medical facility, where the bodies were being brought.

Itan explained that law enforcement blocked media personnel from going into the operation zone, where the security measures was under way.

"Police officers formed a line and announced: 'The press cannot proceed beyond this point'."

However, the photographer, who grew up in the community, reported he was able to enter into the cordoned-off area, where he remained until dawn.

He reported that Tuesday night, community members began to search the mountainous area that borders Penha from the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for relatives who had been missing since the police raid.

Community members living in Penha organized the located casualties in a square - the photographer's images reveal the response of those present.

"The harsh reality of it all impacted me deeply: the pain of loved ones, parents losing consciousness, women carrying children, sobbing, furious relatives," the reporter recounted.

Bruno Itan

The governor of the region stated that the large-scale security action deploying about 2,500 officers was designed to preventing an illegal organization referred to as Red Command from increasing their control.

At first, the Rio state government stated that sixty individuals and four police officers" had been killed in the raid.

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

The public legal service, that gives legal support to disadvantaged individuals, has estimated the total number of people killed to be 132.

Based on expert analysis, the gang stands as the sole illegal faction which in recent years has managed to make territorial gains throughout Rio state.

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

Based on correspondent an expert, who has long reported on criminal activity in the city extensively, Red Command "functions as a network" with neighborhood bosses forming part of the gang and serving as "commercial associates".

The criminal group engages primarily in narcotics distribution, but also smuggles guns, valuable minerals, petroleum products, beverages smoking products.

Based on official reports, organization members possess significant weaponry and police said that while the action was underway, they came under attack via weaponized unmanned aircraft.

The state leader of the region, the political leader, labeled organization participants as drug terrorists and called the security forces who died during the operation as "heroes".

Nevertheless, the total of casualties in the security action has received condemnation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights saying it was "horrified".

During a press briefing the next day, the state leader supported law enforcement.

"We did not plan to result in deaths. We wanted to take suspects into custody without harm," he declared.

He continued that the circumstances had escalated due to the alleged criminals had retaliated: "It occurred of the counterattack they executed and the excessive violence by the illegal group."

The official additionally stated that the casualties presented by community members in the neighborhood were "altered".

Via a statement through digital channels, he said that some of them had been taken of military-style attire that he stated they possessed "in order to shift blame onto the police".

A law enforcement representative representing security forces additionally stated that "camouflage clothing, body armor, and arms" were stripped from the bodies and displayed evidence appearing to show a man removing tactical gear {off a corpse