Residents of a Rio de Janeiro favela lined up the bodies of their loved ones on Wednesday after Brazil’s deadliest police operation left at least 119 people dead, reigniting debate over the country’s violent war on drug gangs entrenched in poor neighborhoods.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva condemned organized crime but urged police operations to avoid endangering civilians and officers, as the tragedy cast a shadow just days before Brazil hosts the COP30 UN climate summit in the Amazon.

Families accused police of carrying out executions, while the Rio state government defended the raid as a major success against the powerful Comando Vermelho, the city’s oldest and most dominant drug gang.

Authorities said the death toll included 115 suspected criminals and four police officers. “We cannot accept that organized crime continues to destroy families and spread violence,” Lula wrote on X, calling for a coordinated national effort against drug trafficking.

Justice Minister Ricardo Lewandowski traveled to Rio to meet state governor Claudio Castro, offering federal support to manage what he called a “security crisis.”

In the Complexo da Penha favela, residents discovered dozens of bodies in nearby woods, some showing signs of torture or execution. “They slit my son’s throat and hung his head from a tree like a trophy,” said Raquel Tomas, whose 19-year-old was among the dead.

Lawyer Albino Pereira Neto, representing several families, said some victims were tied up or burned, describing the deaths as “cold-blooded murders.”

The United Nations voiced alarm over the scale of the killings. UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed deep concern, and the UN Human Rights Office called for an immediate investigation.

Brazil’s Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes has summoned Governor Castro to explain the police actions next Monday.

The operation, backed by helicopters, armored vehicles, and drones, targeted Comando Vermelho strongholds. Police said the gang retaliated by hijacking buses to block highways and using drones to drop explosives.

Governor Castro labeled the raid a “success,” insisting that all civilian deaths were those of gang members. Police said 113 suspects were arrested and 91 rifles seized.

Officials added that most fighting occurred in forested areas around the favela, where elite forces had pushed gang members “to protect residents.” However, the scenes of grief and accusation on the streets of Rio underscored the deep divide over Brazil’s ongoing battle with urban violence.