A massive fire ripped through Brazil’s most historic museum on Sunday evening, destroying priceless collections and shocking a nation already struggling with a series of political and economic crises.
Live television coverage of the fire at the National Museum in Rio de Janeiro, located in the palatial former home of the Brazilian/Portuguese royal family, showed images reminiscent of second world war bombing with flames lighting up the windows of the sprawling neoclassical building.
The 200-year-old collection of 20m items included artefacts of domestic and international significance, such as Egyptian mummies and Etruscan vases, the most ancient female skull discovered in Brazil and countless other exhibits ranging from native Indian culture to dinosaurs.