Easter Island's sacred moai statues suffer 'irreparable' damage from fire

A fire that started October 3 has caused "irreparable" damage to some of the famous statues that lie on Easter Island.

Officials from the Rapa Nui National Park who look after the island confirmed the news on Wednesday, on Facebook, describing the national park as "irreparable and with consequences beyond what your eyes can see."

Ariki Tepano, director of the Ma'u Henua community which looks after the national park, said: "The moai are totally charred and you can see the effect of the fire upon them."

It is unknown how many of the moai statues have been affected but there are at least 1,000 giant carved statues on the island.

It is said that the fire covered "about 60 hectares" (148 acres), according to Caroline Perez, the cultural heritage official.

Easter Island, which lies 3,500km (2,174 miles) off the coast of Chile, is home to around 1,000 historic statues which were carved by a Polynesian tribe more than 500 years ago.

The recognisable statues are near the Rano Raraku volcano, which is an Unesco World Heritage Site.

The island relies on tourism and reopened three months ago following its closure during the pandemic.

The island's mayor, Pedro Edmunds, told local media believes the fire was "not an accident" and "the damage caused by the fire can't be undone."

The site has now been closed for visitation while an investigation happens to examine the extent of the damage.

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