Brazil National Museum engulfed in flames: Priceless artefacts destroyed
The National Museum of Brazil was engulfed in infernal flames. Priceless artefacts that were more than 11,000 years old went up in flames. More than 20 million pieces of history could have been completely destroyed. This includes Egyptian mummies and historical artwork.
The cause of the fire has not yet been identified. Officials at the museum have blamed lack of funding at the main reason for this fire. The Brazil National Museum is one of the largest anthropology and natural history collections in the Americas. It was totally destroyed the fire. The deputy director said that they never had enough support to maintain the Rio de Janeiro museum.
Presidential candidate Marina Silva also criticised lack of investment. She tweeted, “Given the financial straits of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and all the other public universities the last three years, this was a tragedy that could be seen coming.”
The building was a 19th-century former royal palace. The fire started in the evening. The cause is yet to be unearthed. The museum was closed for the day. No injuries were reported. Most of the 20 million ancient items were burned to a crisp. This included the oldest human remains ever to be found in the Americas.
The President of Brazil, Michel Temer tweeted that it was a sad day for all Brazilians. Almost 200 years of work, research and knowledge were lost.
This museum was Brazil’s oldest. It is managed the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. The federal government has been struggling with huge budget imbalances in the recent years.
The firefighters said that the hydrants closest to the museum were not even in proper working order. The firefighters were able to secure a number of items from the burning rubble.
It is truly despicable to witness the destruction of such priceless artefacts over the conservation of petty money.
