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The photographer

A reporter who witnessed the consequences of an extensive security raid in Rio de Janeiro has described how residents came back with badly injured victims of people who lost their lives.

The casualties "kept coming: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45...", Bruno Itan reported. They included law enforcement personnel.

One individual was discovered headless - others were "severely damaged", he reported. Numerous victims displayed what appeared to be knife injuries.

In excess of 120 victims lost their lives during Tuesday's raid against a criminal group - the most lethal operation in the city.

The eyewitness explained that he was first alerted concerning the action in the early hours by residents from the Alemão area, who reached out informing him gunfire had erupted.

The eyewitness traveled to the Getúlio Vargas hospital, where the casualties were coming in.

The photographer stated that security forces blocked media personnel from accessing the Penha neighborhood, where the operation was under way.

"Police officers established a perimeter and announced: 'Media representatives cannot proceed beyond this point'."

However, the photographer, who was raised in the community, reported he managed to enter into the restricted zone, where he stayed through the night.

He explained that Tuesday night, local residents began to search the mountainous area that borders Penha from the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for family members who had been missing following the security action.

Residents from the Penha area organized the located casualties in an open area - the documented evidence show the reaction of the people there.

"The brutality of the situation affected me profoundly: the pain of the families, women collapsing, women carrying children, sobbing, angry family members," the eyewitness remembered.

Bruno Itan

The state leader of the state announced that the massive police operation involving around 2,500 officers was aimed at stopping a gang known as Red Command from growing their influence.

Originally, local officials maintained that sixty individuals plus four law enforcement personnel" had been killed during the action.

Officials subsequently stated that initial estimates suggests that 117 individuals were fatally injured.

The public legal service, that offers legal help to low-income residents, has put the total number of fatalities as 132.

Per investigative findings, the gang represents the unique criminal entity that recently has succeeded to make territorial gains throughout Rio state.

It is widely considered one of the two largest gangs nationally, together with First Capital Command, featuring a timeline dating back more than 50 years.

According to reporter an expert, who has long reported on criminal activity in the city extensively, the gang "operates like a franchise" with area gang leaders joining the organization and serving as "commercial associates".

The organization focuses mainly on narcotics distribution, additionally trafficking firearms, precious metals, petroleum products, beverages cigarettes.

Based on official reports, gang members have substantial firearms and police said that throughout the operation, they faced assaults via weaponized unmanned aircraft.

The governor of Rio state, Cláudio Castro, described gang affiliates as "narcoterrorists" and referred to the law enforcement personnel killed in the raid as "heroes".

However, the count of people killed during the raid has faced scrutiny with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights saying it was "shocked".

In a media appearance the next day, Governor Castro justified security actions.

"It wasn't our intention to result in deaths. We aimed to detain everyone safely," he said.

He added that the circumstances intensified as the individuals had retaliated: "It resulted of the counterattack they implemented and the overwhelming response from the gang members."

The state leader further reported that the victims displayed by locals in the neighborhood were "altered".

In a post on social media, he asserted that particular individuals had been removed of military-style attire he said they had been wearing "to transfer accusation onto the police".

A police official representing security forces additionally stated that tactical gear, protective equipment, and firearms" had been removed from the bodies and showed footage apparently demonstrating a man stripping military attire {off a corpse