(NewsNation) — In a matter of minutes, a group of thieves disguised as construction workers broke into the Louvre, destroyed display cases and stole Napoleonic-era jewelry, officials said.
The robbery occurred 30 minutes after the museum in Paris, France, which houses more than 350,000 items, opened on Sunday.
The thieves used a basket lift to lift the facade facing the Seine River, cut the windows with a disc cutter, entered the Apollo Galleries, and smashed two display cases belonging to the Royal Collection. They then fled on motorbikes, French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said.
Photo: Which jewels were stolen from the Louvre?
Thieves took at least eight French crowns, including a sapphire crown, a necklace and a single earring, from a matching set associated with 19th-century French queen Marie Amélie and Hortense.
Other valuables stolen included Empress Marie Louise’s matching emerald necklace and earrings, and Empress Eugénie’s crown and bow trousers.
Her crown was found broken outside the museum on Sunday, officials told local reporters.
“An investigation has begun and a detailed list of stolen items is being compiled,” a museum spokesperson told CBS News. “Beyond their market value, these items have immense heritage and historical value.”
“It is unlikely that we will ever see these gemstones again,” Tobias Cormind, managing director of 77 Diamonds, told The Associated Press.
“Specialist workers often disassemble or recut large, recognizable stones to avoid detection, effectively erasing their origin,” Cormind said.
Deemed by the Louvre a “gallery fit for the Sun King,” the Apollo Gallery also houses Louis XIV’s collection of hardstone vessels, table decorations, and tapestries of portraits of 28 monarchs and artists.
