Brasilia sources reported that a huge fire has broken out at the National Museum of Brazil in Rio De Janeiro, the oldest scientific institution in the country. Accordingly Firefighters were tackling the blaze at the building, which contains more than 20 million items in its collection. As per report Brazil's President Michel Temer tweeted that it was a "sad day for all Brazilians", adding "The value of our history cannot be measured by the damage to the building." It is not yet clear if anyone has been injured in Sunday's fire and the cause of the fire is not yet known”.
Moreover the museum, which once served as the residence for the Portuguese royal family, celebrated its 200 year anniversary earlier in 2018. BBC said “Images broadcast on Brazilian television showed how the fire, which is believed to have started after the facility had closed for the day, had spread throughout the building”. Furthermore people reported on social media that the museum was completely consumed by the blaze.
Further in an interview with Brazil's TV Globo, the
museum's director said it was a "cultural tragedy". Moreover the
museum houses thousands of items related to the history of Brazil and other
countries including Egyptian artifacts, according to its website. Hence employees
had reportedly previously expressed concern about funding cuts and the
dilapidated state of the building.
