Fire in National Museum Of Brazil might have destroyed or damaged a large part of 20 million exhibits.
In Rio De Janero, Brazilian National Museum got caught in major fire which destroyed lots of parts of it, the flames spread to almost all parts of the historic building. According to the museum administration, no injuries were reported. At the outbreak of fire, the museum in the district of São Cristóvão was already closed.
Exact details of the damage is yet to be released. However, according to the local media, a large portion of the 20 million exhibits- from historical memorabilia to archaeological finds- could have been damaged or destroyed. The National Museum is the oldest museum in the South American country and has existed in it’s present form since 1892. Previously, the prestigious building served as the residence of the Portuguese royal and later to Brazilian Imperial family.
The fire was an “immense loss” for Braqzil, President Micheal Temer told in a statement. “200 years of work, knowledge, and research is lost.”
The museum has a geological, botanical, paleontological and archaeological collection and is considered one of the most important exhibition houses in South America. In addition to exhibits from the region, the museum also had Egyptian mummies, Greek statues and Etruscan artifacts. “This is a tragedy for
Brazilian culture,” Paulo Knauss, director of the Historical Museum, told GloboNews.