Many of the famed statues on Easter Island have suffered ‘irreparable’ damage in a fire.
The municipality of Rapa Nui said several statues were charred in a blaze which swept through an area of about 250 acres in Rano Raraku.
The stone statues known as ‘moai’ date from between the 10th and 16th centuries.
Rapa Nui Mayor Pedro Edmunds Paoa told Chilean Radio PAUTA that the fire probably wasn’t an accident.
Representatives from Chile’s National Monuments Council were ‘on the ground assessing damage’ and the Chilean government is offering its full support.
Rapa Nui National Park has about1,000 moai and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
