Columbine to Brazilian

Country lives on terror tragedies similar to U.S.

It was 8am when Wellington Menezes de Oliveira,23, arrived at a school hall in Realengo suburb of Rio, saying he would make a presentation andinitiated an unprecedented tragedy in Brazil.

Armed with two revolvers, a former student opened fire. Killed 12 students - 10 girls and two boys, allaged between 12 and 15 years - and left at least12 wounded. Only stopped after he was hit in the abdomen by a police officer and then shot himself in the head. The case recalls the Columbine massacre, which occurred in April 1999 within theColorado, United States, in which two youths broke into high school, killed 13 people and thencommitted suicide.