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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Maroosha Muzaffar

Easter Island fire causes ‘irreparable’ damage to sacred statues

Carolina Pérez Dattari / Twitter

A devastating fire has charred several of the world-famous statues at Easter Island in Chile, officials have said.

The country’s cultural heritage undersecretary, Carolina Pérez Dattari, said that the blaze that started on Monday engulfed an unknown number of statues — also known as moai — and affected nearly 60 hectares of land.

The moai were carved by a Polynesian tribe more than 500 years ago. Easter Island has nearly 1,000 of these statues.

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