Local authorities said the famous statues on Rapa Nui – also known as Easter Island – were damaged “irreparably” in a fire.
a Photo shared by the municipality From Rapa Nui on social media several charred statues appear in the wake of a fire that ravaged about 250 acres of an area called Rano Raraku, which houses the stone carvings known as beautiful.
Rapa Nui Major Peter Edmunds Bawa Chilean radio said Radio PAUTA He believes the fire was not an accident.
“And this is man-made, it’s no accident,” Edmunds Bawa said in Spanish in the interview. “All fires in Rapa Nui are caused by humans.”
Arikki Teppano, from the indigenous Ma’u Henua community that runs the park, said the fire caused “irreparable” damage to the site.
“The beautiful They are completely burnt out and the effect of the fire can be seen on them.”
According to the Rapa Nui publication, the shortage of volunteers made it difficult to contain the fire.
Officials from Chile’s National Council of Antiquities were “on the ground to assess the damage” from the fire, and the country’s undersecretary for cultural heritage, Carolina Perez Datari. He said in a tweet. Perez Datari said the Chilean government is giving its full support to the island.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Rapa Nui National Park is home to estimated at 1000 beautifulwhich range in size from 6 to over 30 feet.
The Polynesian community that settled in the area around the year 300 built the shrines between the 10th and 16th centuries on Experts say It is the most remote inhabited island on Earth.
The park was closed to visitors on Wednesday.
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