In brief
A water leak at the Louvre Museum in Paris has damaged between 300 to 400 books, primarily in the Egyptian department. The museum's deputy administrator reported no precious books were harmed, and repairs to the cause of the leak are scheduled for next year. This event is the third major incident for the museum in recent months, which also saw a high-profile jewel theft.
A water leak at the Louvre museum in Paris has damaged hundreds of works, just weeks after thieves stole priceless French crown jewels from the museum in broad daylight.
The museum's deputy administrator, Francis Steinbock, said between 300-400 works, mostly books, were affected by the leak - and that the count was ongoing.
Mr. Steinbock told French media that the damage occurred in the Egyptian department, and the affected volumes are those consulted by Egyptologists, adding that no precious books were affected.
The problem causing the leak, discovered in late November, had been known for years, with repairs scheduled for next year, Mr. Steinbock noted.
The volumes will undergo drying, binding, and restoration prior to being returned to their shelves. Described as Egyptology journals and scientific documentation from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, he assured that no heritage artefacts have been affected by this damage. At this stage, there are no irreparable losses in these collections.
The leak marks the third significant issue faced by the world's most visited museum in just as many months. In November, structural weaknesses led to a partial closure of a gallery housing Greek vases, and on October 19, a brazen heist saw four burglars escape with €88m (£76m; $102m) worth of jewels, exposing serious security lapses. To date, the jewels remain unrecovered, and some of the most valuable pieces have been relocated to the Bank of France.
Additionally, an October report by the Cour des Comptes, France's public audit body, criticized the Louvre's excessive art spending, claiming it detracted from necessary maintenance and renovations of the museum's buildings.
