Before and after aerial pictures show fresh destruction at Palmyra site

This picture shows the stage backdrop of the Roman Amphitheatre. Credit: United Nations

The United Nations has released aerial pictures showing fresh destruction, reportedly caused by so-called Islamic State, at the ancient Palymyra site.

Syrian antiquities chief Maamoun Abdulkarim told Reuters the armed group had blown up the Tetrapylon and the facade of its Roman Theatre.

The new pictures show the world heritage site before and after the new damage.

After: This image shows the stage backdrop has now gone. Credit: United Nations

UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova condemned the destruction

"This destruction is a new war crime and an immense loss for the Syrian people and for humanity.

"This new blow against cultural heritage, just a few hours after UNESCO received reports about mass executions in the theatre, shows that cultural cleansing led by violent extremists is seeking to destroy both human lives and historical monuments in order to deprive the Syrian people of its past and its future."

Before: This image shows Palmyra's Tetrapylon in tact. Credit: United Nations
After: But in this image the Tetrapylon has been mostly destroyed.

Palmyra’s theatre dates from the 2nd century AD and the tetrapylon was a monument marking a major road intersection along the site's colonnaded street.

Palmyra was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1980 and has been on the list of World Heritage in Danger since 2013.