Easter Island’s famous statues of ‘stone heads’ and other archaeological artifacts were charred in a fire caused by the Rano Raraku volcano. Local, indigenous and Chilean officials said the fire had spread to more than 100 hectares of the island and damaged famous carved stone structures created by a Polynesian tribe more than 500 years ago, according to CNN.
Ariki Tepano, director of the Ma’u Henua indigenous community, who manages Rapa Nui Natural Park, described the damage as “irreparable” and warned on Thursday that “the consequences go beyond what the eye can see”. .
The UNESCO World Heritage site is located about 3,500 km off the coast of Chile and is the most remote inhabited island on the planet. This is a to-do list destination for travelers from all over the world, especially because of the huge Moai monuments.
Chile’s Under-Secretary for Cultural Heritage Carolina Pérez Dattari said officials from the country’s National Monuments Council (CNM) were “on the ground” to assess the damage the fire had done to the sacred stone statues.
The island’s national park, which features 386 Moai carved from solid basalt, is currently closed to tourists as conservationists investigate the extent of the losses, Rapa Nui’s council said in a Facebook post.
source: Noticias
