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Bruno Itan

A photographer who documented the aftermath of a large-scale Brazilian police operation in Rio de Janeiro has recounted how local people came back with disfigured remains of those who had died.

The victims "kept piling up: the numbers kept rising", the photographer reported. The total contained security forces.

One individual was found without a head - others were "completely mutilated", he reported. Many also had evidence of knife injuries.

Over 120 individuals lost their lives during Tuesday's raid against a criminal group - the deadliest such raid Rio has experienced.

The photographer stated that residents first notified him concerning the action early on Tuesday by residents from the Alemão area, who reached out alerting him an armed confrontation was occurring.

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

The photographer stated that the police blocked media personnel from entering the affected area, where the police action were occurring.

"Law enforcement personnel formed a line and said: 'The press doesn't get past here'."

However, the photographer, who was raised in that neighborhood, stated he was able to make his way past the security perimeter, where he continued through the night.

He reported that evening, area inhabitants began to search the mountainous area that separates the community of Penha and the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for relatives whose whereabouts were unknown after the operation.

Residents of the Penha neighbourhood organized the discovered victims in a square - and Itan's photos display the response of the people there.

"The brutality of it all shook me deeply: the pain of the families, women collapsing, expectant spouses, weeping, outraged parents," the eyewitness remembered.

Bruno Itan

The governor of the region announced that the massive police operation involving around 2,500 security personnel was designed to halting an illegal organization called Comando Vermelho from expanding its territory.

Initially, local officials maintained that "60 suspects along with four officers" were fatally injured during the action.

They have since said that their "preliminary" count suggests that 117 individuals were fatally injured.

The legal assistance organization, that offers legal help to the poor, has calculated the total number of people killed to be 132.

Based on expert analysis, the criminal organization is the only criminal group which in recent years has succeeded to make territorial gains across the region.

Experts commonly view among the biggest criminal organizations in the country, together with a rival criminal group, with a background spanning over five decades.

Based on Brazilian journalist an expert, who has been covering criminal activity in the city for years, the gang "operates like a franchise" with neighborhood bosses affiliating with the group and becoming "operational allies".

The criminal group concentrates largely on illegal drug trade, but also smuggles weapons, precious metals, fuel, liquor smoking products.

According to the authorities, organization members are well armed and authorities stated that during the raid, they came under attack from explosive-laden drones.

The official of the region, the government representative, characterized organization participants as drug terrorists and called the security forces who died during the operation as courageous individuals.

Nevertheless, the total of fatalities in the security action has received condemnation from UN human rights officials expressing they felt "shocked".

During a press briefing the following day, Governor Castro defended the police force.

"There was no objective to cause fatalities. We aimed to take suspects into custody without harm," he stated.

He added that the events had escalated due to the alleged criminals fought back: "It occurred of the resistance they executed and the excessive violence by the illegal group."

The official further reported that the casualties presented by community members in Penha had been "manipulated".

Through a message on social media, he claimed that certain victims had been stripped of tactical gear which he claimed they wore "to transfer accusation onto the police".

A police official of Rio's civil police force also said that "camouflage clothing, vests, and weapons" were stripped from the bodies and presented video apparently demonstrating a man removing tactical gear {off a corpse