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An eyewitness who observed the results of a large-scale law enforcement action in Rio de Janeiro has described how local people returned with badly injured victims of the deceased individuals.

The casualties "kept coming: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45...", the eyewitness stated. They included those of police officers.

A particular victim had been decapitated - additional victims were "totally disfigured", he explained. Numerous victims displayed what he described as blade trauma.

More than 120 people lost their lives in the Tuesday operation on a criminal gang - the most lethal operation the municipality has seen.

The eyewitness reported that residents first notified him concerning the action Tuesday morning by local people of the Alemão neighbourhood, who sent him messages telling him there was a shoot-out.

The eyewitness made his way to a local medical facility, where the victims were arriving.

Itan explained that security forces prevented journalists from going into the operation zone, where the security measures was under way.

"Security forces established a perimeter and announced: 'The press cannot proceed beyond this point'."

But Itan, who spent his childhood in that neighborhood, reported he succeeded to gain access into the cordoned-off area, where he stayed through the night.

He reported during the night, area inhabitants started looking the mountainous area which divides the community of Penha and the neighboring Alemão community for loved ones who were unaccounted for after the operation.

Local people living in Penha arranged the discovered victims in a public space - the documented evidence reveal the emotions of those present.

"The harsh reality of the situation impacted me deeply: the grief of loved ones, mothers fainting, women carrying children, weeping, outraged parents," the photographer recalled.

The photographer

The state leader of Rio state announced that the massive police operation involving around 2,500 officers was designed to preventing an illegal organization referred to as Red Command from expanding its territory.

Initially, state authorities stated that "60 suspects plus four law enforcement personnel" were fatally injured in the operation.

They have since said that initial estimates suggests that 117 alleged criminals have been killed.

The public legal service, that offers legal help to disadvantaged individuals, has put the total number of people killed as 132.

Based on expert analysis, Red Command stands as the sole illegal faction that recently has succeeded to expand its territory throughout Rio state.

Experts commonly view one of the two largest gangs in Brazil, alongside a rival criminal group, featuring a timeline extending half a century.

According to correspondent a specialist, who has been covering criminal activity in the city over many years, Red Command "operates like a franchise" with area gang leaders forming part of the gang and becoming "business partners".

The gang concentrates largely on narcotics distribution, additionally trafficking weapons, gold, petroleum products, beverages smoking products.

Based on official reports, organization members possess significant weaponry and officials reported that while the action was underway, they faced assaults via weaponized unmanned aircraft.

The state leader of the region, the political leader, labeled gang affiliates as drug terrorists and called the law enforcement personnel killed in the raid as courageous individuals.

But the number of casualties during the raid has come in for criticism with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights expressing they felt "shocked".

During a press briefing the following day, the state leader justified security actions.

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

He continued that the events worsened because the suspects had retaliated: "It resulted of the counterattack they implemented and the excessive violence by those criminals."

The official further reported that the bodies displayed by locals in Penha had been "manipulated".

Through a message on online platforms, he said that particular individuals had been taken of military-style attire he said they had been wearing "in order to shift blame to security forces".

A law enforcement representative from the police department further reported that military attire, protective equipment, and weapons" had been removed from the casualties and displayed evidence apparently demonstrating an individual removing tactical gear {off a corpse