Paris [France], October 19 : The Louvre Museum in Paris was forced to close on Sunday after a break-in, France 24 reported. French Culture Minister Rachida Dati confirmed the incident on X, saying, "A robbery took place this morning at the opening of the Louvre Museum."
The thieves arrived between 9:30 am and 9:40 am (local time) and stole jewellery, a source following the case told France 24, adding that the value of the items was still being estimated. There were no injuries reported.
A separate police source described the robbers as arriving on a scooter armed with small chainsaws. They reportedly used a goods lift to reach the room they were targeting, France 24 added.
The Louvre, once the seat of French kings until Louis XIV moved to Versailles in the late 1600s, is regularly listed as the world's most visited museum. Last year, it welcomed nine million visitors.
Following the theft, the museum announced on X that it was closing its doors for the day "for exceptional reasons," without providing further details on the stolen items.
According to French daily Le Parisien, the criminals entered the sprawling building from the facade facing the Seine River, where construction work is ongoing. They used a freight elevator "to gain direct access to the targeted room in the Apollo Gallery," the paper reported. After breaking the windows, they reportedly stole "nine pieces from the jewellery collection of Napoleon and the Empress," the report said.
Dati, who was on site with museum staff and police, said, "No injuries reported. I'm on site with museum staff and police." She added that investigations are underway.
Louvre authorities could not immediately be reached for comment.