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Bruno Itan

An eyewitness who documented the results of a massive law enforcement action in Rio de Janeiro has described how local people brought back disfigured remains of those who had died.

The casualties "kept piling up: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45...", the eyewitness described. Among them were security forces.

A particular victim was discovered headless - others were "completely mutilated", he reported. Several bodies showed what he described as stab wounds.

Over 120 individuals were killed in the Tuesday operation on a criminal gang - the deadliest such raid in the city.

The eyewitness reported that he initially learned concerning the action early on Tuesday by community members from the Alemão area, who contacted him telling him gunfire had erupted.

The eyewitness made his way to the healthcare center, where the bodies were coming in.

The eyewitness reported that security forces blocked media personnel from entering the operation zone, where the operation were taking place.

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

But Itan, who was raised in that neighborhood, stated he managed to gain access into the cordoned-off area, where he remained until dawn.

He explained during the night, community members commenced searching the elevated terrain that borders the Penha neighborhood from the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for loved ones whose whereabouts were unknown after the operation.

Local people from the Penha area organized the recovered bodies in a public space - the documented evidence reveal the emotions of the people there.

"The violence of what occurred shook me a lot: the pain of relatives, women collapsing, expectant spouses, weeping, angry family members," the eyewitness remembered.

The eyewitness

The state leader of Rio state announced that the massive police operation with approximately 2,500 security personnel was aimed at stopping an illegal organization referred to as the criminal faction from growing their influence.

Initially, local officials claimed that sixty individuals and four police officers" were fatally injured during the action.

Authorities later reported that initial estimates indicates that 117 individuals were fatally injured.

The legal assistance organization, that gives legal support to the poor, has estimated the overall count of people killed to be 132.

According to researchers, Red Command stands as the sole illegal faction which in recent years has been able to expand its territory in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

Experts commonly view as a major illegal faction in the country, in company with a rival criminal group, with a background spanning over five decades.

Per Brazilian journalist a specialist, who has long reported on illegal operations in Rio for years, the gang "works as a system" with neighborhood bosses forming part of the gang and serving as "commercial associates".

The gang concentrates largely on narcotics distribution, but also smuggles weapons, valuable minerals, petroleum products, beverages and tobacco.

Based on official reports, gang members have substantial firearms and authorities stated that while the action was underway, they came under attack via weaponized unmanned aircraft.

The official of the state, Cláudio Castro, described Red Command members as drug terrorists and referred to the four police officers who died during the operation as courageous individuals.

However, the count of casualties in the security action has come in for criticism from UN human rights officials saying it was "shocked".

During a press briefing on Wednesday, the official justified security actions.

"It wasn't our intention to cause fatalities. We aimed to arrest them all alive," he stated.

He added that the events intensified due to the alleged criminals had retaliated: "It resulted of the resistance they carried out and the disproportionate use of force by the illegal group."

The state leader further reported that the casualties presented by community members in the area had been "manipulated".

In a post on online platforms, he asserted that certain victims had been taken of the camouflage clothing that he stated they possessed "to transfer accusation to security forces".

Felipe Curi from the police department additionally stated that military attire, vests, and arms" were stripped from the bodies and displayed evidence appearing to show a man stripping military attire {off a corpse