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‘Irreparable damage’: Fire chars iconic Easter Island statues

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SANTIAGO, Chile — Some of Easter Island’s megalithic statues have been damaged by a fire and will likely turn into sand, according to the mayor of the remote island.

On Monday, a wildfire burned inside the Rano Raraku volcanic crater in Rapa Nui National Park. At least 100 carved stone figures, known locally as moai, are located in the burned area, and around 20 percent have been damaged, Mayor Pedro Edmunds Paoa told The Associated Press.

Photos shared by the municipality of Rapa Nui showed damaged statutes following the blaze, which started on Monday.

DAÑO IRREPARABLE Ariki Tepano, director de la comunidad Ma’u Henua a cargo de la administración y mantención del...

Posted by Municipalidad de Rapa Nui on Wednesday, October 5, 2022

Ariki Tepano, who manages the park, told CNN that the damage is “irreparable.” The high temperature of the fire accelerated the process through which the stone carvings would eventually turn into sand, according to Edmunds Paoa.

Rapa Nui National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, has over 800 moais ranging from 6 to more than 30 feet tall.

The island, which was reopened to tourists in August following the COVID-19 pandemic, lies in the middle of the Pacific Ocean over 2,100 miles off the coast of Chile.

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