Hundreds of works were damaged at the Louvre in Paris when a pipe burst because of flooding, the museum’s deputy general administrator said.
The flooding last week damaged at least 300 to 400 works in one of the Egyptian antiquities libraries in the museum, Francis Steinbock, the deputy general administrator, told French broadcast station BFM TV.
The flooding led to a burst pipe and affected one of the three rooms of the library in the Egyptian antiquities department, he said.
A complete count of affected works is underway, he said.
Steinbock described some of the works as books — some several hundred years old and dating to the late 19th century. He said that some of the books were wet and that work is underway to dry them, including dehumidifying them page by page with the help of Buffard paper and modifying plants.
Some of the works are visual periodicals and archaeology journals that are consulted by Egyptologists, Louvre staff members and researchers, he said.
He noted that the area of the pipe break is part of museum spaces that will undergo a major renovation of the ventilation and heating system starting in September.
It's the latest setback for the most visited museum in the world, which was the site of a daring jewelry heist nearly two months ago.
On Oct. 19, four thieves swept through the Louvre in less than eight minutes and stole eight of France’s crown jewels, valued at an estimated 88 million euros ($102 million).
The work to track down the stolen jewels continues, according to Paris' prosecutor.
Four men believed to be part of the robbery team have been arrested, one of them last month. All have preliminarily been charged with robbery by an organized gang and criminal conspiracy.
At the time of the three other arrests in October, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said DNA traces were found at the scene or on items linked to the robbery.
A woman was also arrested in October on preliminary charges of complicity in theft and criminal conspiracy. She has denied any involvement, The Associated Press reported.
