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The photographer

An eyewitness who documented the results of a massive Brazilian police operation in the Brazilian city has described how local people came back with disfigured remains of the deceased individuals.

The bodies "kept piling up: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45...", Bruno Itan reported. The total contained law enforcement personnel.

One of the bodies was discovered headless - while others appeared "severely damaged", he explained. Many also had evidence of knife injuries.

More than 120 people were fatally injured during the security action targeting an illegal organization - the deadliest such raid Rio has experienced.

Bruno Itan explained that residents first notified him about the operation early on Tuesday by local people from the Alemão area, who contacted him alerting him there was a shoot-out.

The photographer made his way to a local medical facility, where the bodies were coming in.

The photographer stated that security forces blocked media personnel from entering the operation zone, where the operation was under way.

"Police officers formed a line and announced: 'The press doesn't get past here'."

But Itan, who grew up in the community, explained he managed to enter into the restricted zone, where he stayed until the next morning.

He reported that Tuesday night, area inhabitants commenced searching the hillside that borders Penha from the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for relatives who had been missing following the security action.

Residents living in Penha arranged the discovered victims in a square - the documented evidence reveal the response of those present.

"The harsh reality of it all shook me a lot: the pain of loved ones, parents losing consciousness, women carrying children, weeping, outraged parents," the reporter recounted.

The photographer

The state leader of Rio state stated that the extensive law enforcement effort involving around 2,500 officers was intended to halting a criminal group called the criminal faction from expanding its territory.

Initially, state authorities stated that sixty alleged criminals and four police officers" lost their lives during the action.

Officials subsequently stated that their "preliminary" count suggests that 117 "suspects" were fatally injured.

The public legal service, that gives legal support to low-income residents, has calculated the final tally of fatalities at 132.

Based on expert analysis, the gang represents the unique criminal entity that recently has managed to increase its control in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

Experts commonly view among the biggest criminal organizations nationally, in company with another major gang, and has a history extending half a century.

Per Brazilian journalist a specialist, with extensive experience documenting criminal activity in the city over many years, the gang "operates like a franchise" with area gang leaders forming part of the gang and serving as "operational allies".

The organization engages primarily in drug trafficking, while also dealing in guns, precious metals, petroleum products, liquor cigarettes.

According to the authorities, organization members possess significant weaponry and authorities stated that during the raid, they encountered resistance using drone-delivered explosives.

The governor of Rio state, the government representative, characterized organization participants as "narcoterrorists" and described the law enforcement personnel who died during the operation as courageous individuals.

Nevertheless, the total of fatalities during the raid has come in for criticism with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights stating they were "shocked".

During a press briefing the next day, the official defended the police force.

"There was no objective to result in deaths. We wanted to arrest them all alive," he declared.

He continued that the circumstances had escalated due to the alleged criminals resisted aggressively: "It resulted of the counterattack they carried out and the overwhelming response by those criminals."

The official also said that the bodies presented by community members in Penha had been "manipulated".

In a post on online platforms, he asserted that particular individuals had been stripped of the camouflage clothing which he claimed they wore "in order to shift blame onto the police".

A police official representing security forces also said that tactical gear, protective equipment, and firearms" were stripped from the victims and showed footage appearing to show a man cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse