A fifth of the Moai sculptures listed as World Heritage of Humanity were damaged after the fire which ravaged the Rapa Nui National Park.
Le Monde with AFP
About 80 Moai statues, emblematic of Easter Island, were damaged, sometimes “irreparable”, by a fire that started at the start of the week on the island 3,500 kilometers from the coast Chilean. “The fire of the quarry of the Rano Raraku volcano has been extinguished (…), however causing irreparable damage to the cultural heritage of humanity,” said Chilean President Gabriel Boric on Friday October 7
A hundred hectares of the Rapa Nui National Park have been devastated. Fire reached the Rano Raraku volcano area, and the career where the ancient indigenous civilization Rapa Nui manufactured its Moai statues. There are 416 of these sculptures at different manufacturing stages.
fire vehicles could not access the site
Due to flames, smoke and water, around 20 % of the statues of the site were damaged, according to the mayor of Pedro Edmunds, who says one of them had undergone “irremediable damage”.
“She will stay there, as is, until we assess the damage, and then we will call on humanity to see what solution we can consider.”
The elected official explained that the flames had progressed quickly due to the lack of guards in the park, and denounced “the abandonment of the island” by the government. Due to geography, firefighters were unable to access the very fire site, probably of criminal origin. “This fire was caused by livestock breeders for pastures. Everything said,” said the Chilean Minister of Agriculture, Esteban Valenzuela.
three months after reopening to tourists
isolated in the middle of the Pacific, 3,500 km from the Chilean coast, Easter Island, Polynesian culture, is world known for its impressive megaliths with the mysterious origin, classified as World Heritage by UNESCO. Some can reach 20 meters high and weigh up to 80 tonnes.
The fire occurred three months after the reopening of ‘Island to world tourism in early August, after two years of closure due to the coronavirus pandemic. Before the pandemic, the island, whose tourism is the Main livelihood, welcomed 160,000 visitors per year, at the rate of two flights per day.