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The photographer

A reporter who witnessed the aftermath of a large-scale security raid in Rio de Janeiro has recounted how residents brought back badly injured victims of those who had died.

The casualties "kept coming: the numbers kept rising", Bruno Itan described. The total contained security forces.

One individual was found without a head - while others appeared "completely mutilated", he reported. Numerous victims displayed evidence of blade trauma.

In excess of 120 victims were killed in the Tuesday operation on a criminal gang - the most lethal operation Rio has experienced.

The photographer explained that residents first notified him concerning the action Tuesday morning by residents of the Alemão neighbourhood, who reached out informing him gunfire had erupted.

The eyewitness went to the healthcare center, where the casualties were arriving.

The eyewitness reported that the police prevented journalists from going into the operation zone, where the security measures were taking place.

"Police officers established a perimeter and said: 'The press are not allowed to pass'."

However, the photographer, who spent his childhood in that neighborhood, explained he succeeded to gain access past the security perimeter, where he remained until the next morning.

He reported that Tuesday night, community members began to search the hillside which divides the Penha neighborhood from the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for relatives whose whereabouts were unknown following the security action.

Residents living in Penha organized the discovered victims in an open area - the photographer's images reveal the reaction of those present.

"The harsh reality of it all affected me a lot: the sorrow of loved ones, parents losing consciousness, expectant spouses, weeping, outraged parents," the eyewitness remembered.

Bruno Itan

The state leader of the state declared that the large-scale security action involving around 2,500 law enforcement members was aimed at preventing a gang referred to as Comando Vermelho from expanding its territory.

At first, local officials stated that sixty alleged criminals along with four officers" were fatally injured in the operation.

Officials subsequently stated that initial estimates shows that 117 "suspects" have been killed.

Rio's public defender's office, which provides legal assistance to the poor, has estimated the final tally of fatalities to be 132.

Based on expert analysis, Red Command represents the unique criminal entity that recently has been able to expand its territory across the region.

It is generally regarded among the biggest criminal organizations nationally, alongside another major gang, featuring a timeline dating back more than 50 years.

Based on correspondent a specialist, with extensive experience documenting crime in Rio over many years, the gang "works as a system" with area gang leaders forming part of the gang and acting as "business partners".

The organization concentrates largely on drug trafficking, additionally trafficking guns, valuable minerals, petroleum products, alcohol smoking products.

Per law enforcement statements, criminal affiliates have substantial firearms and police said that throughout the operation, they faced assaults from explosive-laden drones.

The official of Rio state, the government representative, described organization participants as drug terrorists and called the four police officers who died during the operation as courageous individuals.

Nevertheless, the total of casualties during the raid has come in for criticism from international human rights authorities expressing they felt "horrified".

At a news conference on Wednesday, the state leader supported law enforcement.

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

He added that the situation worsened due to the alleged criminals resisted aggressively: "It resulted of the counterattack they executed and the excessive violence by the illegal group."

The governor further reported that the bodies shown by residents in the neighborhood were "altered".

Via a statement on social media, he asserted that particular individuals had been removed of tactical gear he said they had been wearing "to redirect responsibility toward law enforcement".

A law enforcement representative from the police department additionally stated that "camouflage clothing, body armor, and weapons" were stripped from the bodies and presented video apparently demonstrating an individual cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse