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The photographer

An eyewitness who documented the consequences of a massive security raid in the Brazilian city has recounted how community members came back with disfigured remains of people who lost their lives.

The victims "continued arriving: the count kept increasing", the eyewitness described. They included law enforcement personnel.

A particular victim was discovered headless - while others appeared "totally disfigured", he explained. Numerous victims displayed evidence of stab wounds.

In excess of 120 victims were killed during Tuesday's raid targeting an illegal organization - the most lethal operation Rio has experienced.

The eyewitness reported that residents first notified him about the operation early on Tuesday by local people of the Alemão neighbourhood, who reached out informing him an armed confrontation was occurring.

The eyewitness traveled to the healthcare center, where the victims were being brought.

The eyewitness reported that security forces blocked media personnel from going into the affected area, where the security measures was under way.

"Law enforcement personnel created a barrier and said: 'Journalists doesn't get past here'."

However, the photographer, who was raised in the community, reported he was able to make his way into the cordoned-off area, where he continued until the next morning.

He described that evening, area inhabitants began to search the elevated terrain that borders the Penha neighborhood from the neighboring Alemão community for family members whose whereabouts were unknown following the security action.

Local people from the Penha area arranged the recovered bodies in a square - the photographer's images reveal the emotions of the people there.

"The brutality of the situation affected me a lot: the pain of the families, women collapsing, women carrying children, weeping, furious relatives," the eyewitness remembered.

The photographer

The governor of the region declared that the massive police operation involving around 2,500 law enforcement members was designed to halting an illegal organization known as Red Command from growing their influence.

At first, local officials stated that "60 suspects along with four officers" lost their lives in the raid.

Authorities later reported that early calculations indicates that 117 "suspects" have been killed.

Rio's public defender's office, that gives legal support to the poor, has calculated the final tally of people killed at 132.

Based on expert analysis, Red Command stands as the sole illegal faction which in recent years has succeeded to make territorial gains in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

Experts commonly view as a major illegal faction in the country, in company with First Capital Command, with a background dating back more than 50 years.

Per reporter a specialist, who has been covering crime in Rio over many years, the criminal organization "operates like a franchise" with area gang leaders joining the organization and acting as "business partners".

The criminal group engages primarily in drug trafficking, additionally trafficking firearms, gold, petroleum products, beverages and tobacco.

Per law enforcement statements, criminal affiliates are well armed and authorities stated that while the action was underway, they encountered resistance via weaponized unmanned aircraft.

The official of the region, the government representative, characterized organization participants as drug terrorists and called the four police officers who died during the operation as "heroes".

Nevertheless, the total of casualties in the operation has come in for criticism from international human rights authorities saying it was "appalled".

During a press briefing the next day, Governor Castro supported law enforcement.

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

He continued that the circumstances intensified as the individuals fought back: "It occurred of the retaliation they executed and the disproportionate use of force from the gang members."

The state leader additionally stated that the victims shown by residents in Penha had been "manipulated".

In a post through digital channels, he asserted that certain victims had been removed of military-style attire that he stated they possessed "in order to shift blame onto the police".

Felipe Curi representing security forces additionally stated that military attire, body armor, and weapons" were taken away from the bodies and presented video apparently demonstrating a man cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse