Pipe burst at Louvre damages 300-400 rare books in Egyptian antiquities library collection

Hundreds of uncommon books were damaged erstwhile a tube burst wrong the Louvre’s Egyptian antiquities library, a setback that comes conscionable weeks aft the depository was rocked by a brazen jewel heist.

The museum’s lawman administrator, Francis Steinbock, told BFM TV that the flooding happened successful 1 of the 3 rooms lodging the Egyptian antiquities library.

"We person identified betwixt 300 and 400 works, the number is ongoing," helium said, adding that "no precious books" were lost. Many of the damaged items were periodicals and archaeology journals regularly utilized by Egyptologists.

Steinbock said unit were inactive assessing the afloat fig of damaged books and had begun drying those soaked successful the flooding, including dehumidifying them leafage by leafage with Buffard insubstantial and modifying plants.

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People locomotion extracurricular the Louvre Museum, Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025, successful Paris. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)

The creation tract La Tribune de l'Art blamed the burst tube connected deteriorating infrastructure, reporting that the section had agelong sought backing to support its collection. Steinbock acknowledged the contented had been known for years and said repairs were scheduled for September 2026.

The leak underscores the museum’s aging infrastructure conscionable weeks aft thieves stole crown jewels successful a brazen daytime heist that exposed glaring information gaps astatine the museum.

A constabulary car parks successful the courtyard of the Louvre Museum, 1 week aft the robbery, connected Oct. 26, 2025, successful Paris. (Thomas Padilla, File/AP Photo)

A four-person squad stormed the Louvre’s Apollo Gallery successful wide daylight connected Oct. 19, stealing jewels valued astatine 88 cardinal euros ($102 million) successful little than 8 minutes.

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Police arrested and charged 4 men suspected of being a portion of the robbery unit successful the consequent weeks. A pistillate was besides arrested, though she has denied engagement done her lawyer.

Police unafraid the country extracurricular the Louvre Museum successful Paris, wherever burglars utilized a truck-mounted moving assistance to scope a second-floor model and bargain royal jewelry valued astatine much than $100 million. (Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP via Getty Images)

The stolen items person not been recovered. They see a diamond-and-emerald necklace Napoleon gave to Empress Marie-Louise, jewels tied to 19th-century Queens Marie-Amélie and Hortense, and Empress Eugénie’s pearl-and-diamond tiara.

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The emerald-set imperial crown of Napoleon III’s wife, Empress Eugénie, containing much than 1,300 diamonds, was aboriginal recovered extracurricular the museum.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.