Late on September 2, a fire tore through the 200-year-old National Museum of Brazil in Rio de Janeiro, burning for more than five hours and destroying or damaging countless irreplaceable artifacts, fossils, memorabilia, works of art, and more. The museum’s collection reportedly included more than 20 million items. The cause remains under investigation, and salvage efforts are under way, but the losses appear to be enormous. Protesters took to the streets denouncing government mismanagement, neglect, and budget cuts that they say have left the museum and other institutions vulnerable to devastating fires and other disasters. See also Ed Yong’s “What Was Lost in Brazil’s Devastating Museum Fire.”
In Photos: The Smoldering Remains of Brazil's National Museum
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An aerial view of Rio de Janeiro's treasured National Museum, with the Maracanã Stadium in the background, on September 3, 2018, a day after a massive fire ripped through the building #
Mauro Pimentel / AFP / Getty -
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A woman holds a sign reading "Freezing money for science, culture, and education, it's fire" during a protest against the Brazilian government on September 3, 2018, in Rio de Janeiro, following a massive fire that ripped through the National Museum. #
Daniel Ramalho / AFP / Getty -
A woman shouts slogans during a protest against the Brazilian government on September 3, 2018, after the fire that destroyed much of the National Museum of Brazil in Rio de Janeiro. #
Daniel Ramalho / AFP / Getty
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