After jewel heist, Louvre faces fresh blow as water leak damages 400 works

The Louvre museum in France, which was recently in news after a daylight robbery worth $102 million, is facing fresh troubles. According to a report by BBC, hundreds of books in the museum were damaged due to a water leak.

 

Francis Steinbock, the museum's deputy administrator, said at least 300-400 works, mostly books, were affected by the water leak, and that the count was ongoing, the BBC reported.

 

The problem that caused the leak, which was discovered in late November, had been known for years, and repairs are scheduled for next year, Steinbock said.

What will happen now?

The administrator said that there have been "no irreparable and definitive losses" in these collections. The volumes will be dried, sent to a bookbinder and restored before being returned to the shelves.

 

Most of the affected books were reportedly Egyptology journals and scientific documentation from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. "No heritage artefacts have been affected by this damage," Steinbock said.

Mounting troubles

The October robbery, where thieves stole eight priceless royal jewels, including an emerald-and-diamond necklace given by Napoleon-I to his wife and a diamond-studded diadem that belonged to Empress Eugénie, took less than seven minutes. Security footage showed at least four thieves breaking into the Apollo Gallery through a window in broad daylight, using power tools to cut open display cases and escaping on two scooters toward eastern Paris.

 

The thieves managed to steal eight of the nine targeted items, while dropping a diamond and emerald-studded crown in the process of fleeing. The jewels still haven't been recovered, and the museum has since moved some of its most precious jewels to the Bank of France.

 

The leak marks the third major issue faced by the museum in just a few months. In November, structural weaknesses prompted the partial closure of one of the galleries hosting Greek vases and offices.