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The photographer

A photographer who documented the results of a massive security raid in the Brazilian city has recounted how residents returned with badly injured victims of the deceased individuals.

The casualties "continued arriving: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45...", the photographer stated. Among them were law enforcement personnel.

A particular victim had been decapitated - additional victims were "totally disfigured", he said. Several bodies showed what appeared to be stab wounds.

In excess of 120 victims lost their lives during Tuesday's raid on a criminal gang - the bloodiest action the municipality has seen.

Bruno Itan reported that residents first notified him to the raid Tuesday morning by community members from the Alemão area, who contacted him informing him gunfire had erupted.

The photographer traveled to the healthcare center, where the casualties were arriving.

The photographer stated that the police prevented journalists from accessing the Penha neighborhood, where the operation was under way.

"Police officers created a barrier and said: 'Journalists cannot proceed beyond this point'."

But Itan, who was raised in the community, stated he managed to enter past the security perimeter, where he stayed until dawn.

He explained that evening, community members began to search the mountainous area that borders Penha from the adjacent Alemão area for family members who were unaccounted for since the police raid.

Local people of the Penha neighbourhood arranged the recovered bodies in an open area - the photographer's images show the reaction of those present.

"The harsh reality of the situation shook me a lot: the grief of relatives, women collapsing, women carrying children, sobbing, furious relatives," the reporter recounted.

Bruno Itan

The governor of Rio state announced that the extensive law enforcement effort involving around 2,500 law enforcement members was designed to halting a criminal group known as Comando Vermelho from increasing their control.

Initially, state authorities claimed that sixty individuals and four police officers" lost their lives in the raid.

Officials subsequently stated that initial estimates shows that 117 "suspects" were fatally injured.

The legal assistance organization, that gives legal support to disadvantaged individuals, has estimated the overall count of casualties as 132.

Per investigative findings, the criminal organization represents the unique criminal entity which in recent years has been able to expand its territory across the region.

Experts commonly view among the biggest criminal organizations nationally, together with First Capital Command, with a background dating back more than 50 years.

According to Brazilian journalist an expert, who has been covering crime in Rio over many years, the gang "functions as a network" with neighborhood bosses forming part of the gang and serving as "operational allies".

The criminal group engages primarily in illegal drug trade, but also smuggles firearms, precious metals, fuel, beverages smoking products.

According to the authorities, organization members possess significant weaponry and officials reported that throughout the operation, they encountered resistance via weaponized unmanned aircraft.

The state leader of Rio state, the political leader, labeled organization participants as "narcoterrorists" and described the law enforcement personnel who died during the operation as brave public servants.

But the number of fatalities in the security action has come in for criticism from UN human rights officials expressing they felt "shocked".

During a press briefing the following day, the state leader justified security actions.

"We did not plan to cause fatalities. We intended to take suspects into custody without harm," he declared.

He added that the situation had escalated as the individuals resisted aggressively: "It resulted of the resistance they implemented and the excessive violence by the illegal group."

The governor additionally stated that the casualties displayed by locals in the area had been "tampered with".

In a post on social media, he asserted that particular individuals had been stripped of tactical gear he said they had been wearing "to transfer accusation to security forces".

A police official representing security forces also said that "camouflage clothing, protective equipment, and arms" were stripped from the casualties and showed footage appearing to show an individual removing tactical gear {off a corpse