Brazilians protest after fire destroyed National Museum

CAIRO, SEPT 4 (SEE): About 25,000 Brazilians protested angrily after the National Museum was destroyed by fire yesterday due poor maintenance of the facility. They blamed authorities for the horrific incident that they should have spent more money in the educational field.

Researchers, students and people who work in the museum gathered in groups outside the burnt museum crying and trying to console one another.

Due to the country's economic collapse, the museum has been suffering declining funding and financial neglect for many years.

According to the local media report , the cause of the fire was likely to be an electrical fault resulting from the deterioration of equipment in the museum.

Brazil's culture minister Sergio Leitao told the Estado de S.Paulo newspaper,"The blaze was likely caused by either an electrical short-circuit or a homemade paper hot-air balloon that may have landed on the roof. Launching such balloons is a long-held tradition in Brazil and they routinely cause fires."

"The hydrants outside the building were dry, which forced firefighters to use water from a nearby lake and rely on water trucks. But the building burned too fast for any of that to help," commander of the Rio fire department Roberto Robadey told reporters.

He added, "Yesterday was one of the saddest days of my career."

The museum which was founded in 1818 by the king of Portugal includes 20 million items of historic value, including mummified bodies of indigenous people in addition to 700 Egyptian artifacts.