Rio's Christ the Redeemer tribute for coronavirus victims

The initiative aimed to bring hope and to humanize the critical time the whole world is going through, honouring all lives lost and also thanking essential workers and volunteers for acting during the crisis. More than 60 thousand people have died in Brazil due to COVID-19, with at least 1.4 million cases confirmed by Wednesday.

Rio de Janeiro: The statue of the Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro was illuminated in a special projection on Wednesday night as a tribute to COVID-19 victims.

The homage was organized by the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (CNBB) and Brazilian Caritas (an organization of the CNBB), with the support of the United Nations.

The initiative aimed to bring hope and to humanize the critical time the whole world is going through, honouring all lives lost and also thanking essential workers and volunteers for acting during the crisis.

"Today we chose this date and this important and symbolic location (the statue of Christ The Redeemer) because we wanted to pay a great tribute to those who left us, during this moment we are living, because of COVID-19," said Caio Coimbra, one of the organizers of the projection.

More than 60,000 people have died in Brazil due to COVID-19, with at least 1.4 million cases confirmed by Wednesday.

(With inputs from AP)