Controlled explosion rocks Rio’s Maracana Stadium
With the commencement of the Rio 2016 Olympics just days away, bomb disposal experts were called to Rio’s Maracana Stadium and used a controlled explosion to destroy a suspicious package.
The 78,000-plus capacity Maracana is set to host the Olympic Opening Ceremony on Friday and the closing ceremony on August 21.
The suspicious package, which was identified as a “tool box,” was destroyed by a bomb disposal robot. There are no reports of any injuries and authorities have yet to confirm whether the package was in fact a bomb or not.
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With the days ticking down to the opening of the Games, tensions are running high in Brazil. This is just the latest incident in a week that’s seen the torch procession attacked by protesters and the firm charged with security for the Games fired for incompetence.
The Maracana is Brazil’s most iconic stadium and was the site of the World Cup final in 1950 and again in 2014.
