Rio Bus Hostage Crisis: Tragedy Exposes Brazil's Divide
The hostage was shot by police, not by Sandro. That detail got buried fast. Sandro Rosa do Nascimento had survived the 1993 Candelária massacre as a child — eight street kids killed by off-duty officers — and spent years homeless on Rio's streets before boarding Bus 174 with a gun. The four-hour standoff played out live on Brazilian television, cameras pressed against the windows. When it ended, the hostage Geisa Firmo Gonçalves was dead from a police bullet. Sandro died in custody shortly after. Brazil had watched everything — and still missed what actually happened.
June 12, 2000
26 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on June 12
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