Brazil’s Burning Forests Force Bolsonaro Plane to Abort Landing

President was visiting region for agribusiness meeting
Burning in Pantanal biome is up 208% in 2020, creating smoke

A volunteer firefighter walks along Transpantaneira road at the Pantanal wetlands region in Porto Jofre city, Mato Grosso state, Brazil, on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020.

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By Simone Iglesias and Marisa Wanzeller

September 18, 2020 at 6:46 PM UTC

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President Jair Bolsonaro’s plane was forced to abort a first attempt to land in Mato Grosso state, an epicenter of the forest fires ravaging Brazil’s Pantanal region.

“Visibility wasn’t so good,” Bolsonaro said after the presidential Airbus A319 landed, without mentioning the fires or smoke currently swallowing up the region. “Fortunately, we were able to land the second time.”