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Bruno Itan

A reporter who observed the consequences of a large-scale Brazilian police operation in Rio de Janeiro has described how community members brought back disfigured remains of those who had died.

The bodies "continued arriving: the numbers kept rising", Bruno Itan stated. The total contained those of police officers.

A particular victim was discovered headless - additional victims were "completely mutilated", he explained. Several bodies showed what he described as blade trauma.

In excess of 120 victims lost their lives during Tuesday's raid targeting an illegal organization - the most lethal operation in the city.

The eyewitness stated that he was first alerted concerning the action early on Tuesday by local people of the Alemão neighbourhood, who sent him messages telling him gunfire had erupted.

The photographer traveled to the Getúlio Vargas hospital, where the bodies were arriving.

The eyewitness reported that law enforcement stopped members of the press from accessing the Penha neighborhood, where the police action was under way.

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

Nevertheless, the eyewitness, who grew up in the area, stated he was able to enter into the cordoned-off area, where he remained through the night.

He described during the night, community members started looking the hillside that separates the Penha neighborhood from the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for loved ones who were unaccounted for after the operation.

Local people living in Penha arranged the discovered victims in a square - the documented evidence reveal the reaction of the gathered crowd.

"The harsh reality of what occurred affected me a lot: the pain of the families, mothers fainting, pregnant wives, crying, outraged parents," the reporter recounted.

Bruno Itan

The governor of Rio state stated that the massive police operation with approximately 2,500 officers was designed to stopping an illegal organization called Red Command from growing their influence.

At first, state authorities maintained that sixty individuals plus four law enforcement personnel" lost their lives in the operation.

Officials subsequently stated that their "preliminary" count indicates that 117 individuals have been killed.

The legal assistance organization, that gives legal support to low-income residents, has estimated the overall count of people killed as 132.

Per investigative findings, the criminal organization stands as the sole illegal faction that in the past few years has managed to expand its territory in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

It is generally regarded one of the two largest gangs in the country, together with another major gang, and has a history dating back more than 50 years.

Per correspondent Rafael Soares, who has long reported on crime in Rio for years, the criminal organization "functions as a network" with area gang leaders forming part of the gang and becoming "commercial associates".

The gang engages primarily in drug trafficking, while also dealing in firearms, valuable minerals, petroleum products, liquor cigarettes.

Per law enforcement statements, organization members possess significant weaponry and authorities stated that during the raid, they came under attack from explosive-laden drones.

The governor of Rio state, the government representative, labeled gang affiliates as criminal extremists and referred to the law enforcement personnel fatally injured in the action as "heroes".

But the number of fatalities during the raid has faced scrutiny from international human rights authorities stating they were "appalled".

In a media appearance the next day, the state leader defended the police force.

"It wasn't our intention to kill anyone. We intended to take suspects into custody without harm," he said.

He further explained that the circumstances had escalated as the individuals resisted aggressively: "It resulted of the resistance they carried out and the excessive violence by the illegal group."

The governor further reported that the casualties shown by residents in the neighborhood had been "manipulated".

In a post on social media, he said that some of them had been taken of the camouflage clothing which he claimed they wore "to transfer accusation to security forces".

A police official from the police department also said that military attire, body armor, and arms" were stripped from the casualties and presented video apparently demonstrating a man stripping military attire {off a corpse