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Bruno Itan

A photographer who documented the aftermath of an extensive law enforcement action in the Brazilian city has recounted how local people returned with disfigured remains of people who lost their lives.

The bodies "kept piling up: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45...", the eyewitness reported. The total contained security forces.

A particular victim had been decapitated - others were "severely damaged", he explained. Many also had evidence of stab wounds.

In excess of 120 victims were fatally injured during the security action targeting an illegal organization - the most lethal operation Rio has experienced.

The photographer reported that residents first notified him about the operation early on Tuesday by local people living in Alemão, who contacted him informing him an armed confrontation was occurring.

The photographer went to the healthcare center, where the victims were being brought.

The eyewitness reported that the police blocked media personnel from going into the affected area, where the operation was under way.

"Security forces created a barrier and declared: 'The press are not allowed to pass'."

But Itan, who spent his childhood in that neighborhood, reported he was able to gain access into the cordoned-off area, where he continued until the next morning.

He explained that Tuesday night, local residents started looking the hillside that separates the community of Penha and the neighboring Alemão community for loved ones whose whereabouts were unknown after the operation.

Local people of the Penha neighbourhood organized the located casualties in an open area - the photographer's images reveal the emotions of the people there.

"The violence of it all affected me deeply: the sorrow of relatives, mothers fainting, women carrying children, weeping, furious relatives," the reporter recounted.

The photographer

The official of the state stated that the extensive law enforcement effort involving around 2,500 officers was intended to preventing an illegal organization referred to as Comando Vermelho from expanding its territory.

At first, the Rio state government maintained that sixty individuals and four police officers" had been killed during the action.

Officials subsequently stated that early calculations shows that 117 alleged criminals lost their lives.

Rio's public defender's office, that offers legal help to low-income residents, has estimated the total number of people killed to be 132.

Per investigative findings, the criminal organization is the only criminal group that in the past few years has succeeded to expand its territory throughout Rio state.

It is widely considered as a major illegal faction in the country, together with a rival criminal group, and has a history spanning over five decades.

According to correspondent Rafael Soares, who has been covering crime in Rio for years, the criminal organization "operates like a franchise" with neighborhood bosses forming part of the gang and becoming "operational allies".

The gang concentrates largely on drug trafficking, while also dealing in weapons, precious metals, energy resources, liquor cigarettes.

According to the authorities, criminal affiliates are well armed and police said that throughout the operation, they faced assaults using drone-delivered explosives.

The official of the state, Cláudio Castro, described Red Command members as drug terrorists and referred to the law enforcement personnel killed in the raid as brave public servants.

But the number of casualties during the raid has received condemnation from UN human rights officials saying it was "shocked".

In a media appearance the next day, the state leader justified security actions.

"We did not plan to result in deaths. We aimed to detain everyone safely," he declared.

He further explained that the situation had escalated due to the alleged criminals resisted aggressively: "It was a consequence of the retaliation they executed and the overwhelming response from the gang members."

The governor additionally stated that the casualties shown by residents in the area had been "manipulated".

Via a statement on online platforms, he asserted that particular individuals had been taken of the camouflage clothing he said they had been wearing "to transfer accusation to security forces".

Felipe Curi representing security forces additionally stated that military attire, vests, and weapons" were taken away from the bodies and displayed evidence appearing to show a man removing tactical gear {off a corpse