Weeks after a high-profile robbery at the Louvre – new troubles: a water leak occurred in the museum's library, resulting in damaged books.
Entrance to the Louvre. Photo: AP Photo/Emma Da Silva
The museum's deputy administrator, Francis Steinbock, reported that between 300 and 400 items, mostly books, were affected by the leak, and counting is still ongoing, writes BBC.
According to him, the leak occurred in the Egyptology department – books used by Egyptologists were affected, but no valuable editions were damaged. These are scientific documentation and journals on Egyptology from the late 19th to early 20th century.
"No cultural heritage item was damaged," Steinbock assured.
According to him, the books will be dried, rebound, restored, and returned to the shelves. "At this moment, we have no irreversible or permanent losses," he emphasized.
According to Bloomberg, the cause was a mistakenly opened valve in the library's hydraulic heating and ventilation system. The system was outdated and had been disconnected for several months, with plans for its replacement.
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