A forest fire that has ravaged part of Easter Island has burned some of its monumental carved stone figures, known as moai, according to authorities.
The fire reportedly ravaged Rapa Nui National Park, 3,500 km (2,175 miles) off Chile’s west coast, causing “irreparable” damage to the archaeological site.
“More than 100 hectares (247 acres) were affected in the Rano Raraku sector, which includes the wetlands and moai sector,” the national park said in a statement on its official Facebook page on Thursday.
Carolina Perez, undersecretary for Cultural Heritage, said the island, which is 3,500 km (2,175 miles) off Chile’s west coast, had been engulfed in flames since Monday.
Rapa Nui has more than 1,000 stone statues – giant heads believed to have been first carved in the 13th century by the island’s original inhabitants. The area around the Rano Raraku volcano, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was the most affected.
It is estimated that there are several hundred moai in this area, as well as in the quarry where the stone used to carve the sculptures is extracted.
The area around the Rano Raraku volcano, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was the most affected. Photograph: Municipality of Rapanui/AFP/Getty Images
Ariki Tepano, director of the Ma’u Henua community responsible for the management and maintenance of the park, described the damage as “irreparable”.
“The moai are completely charred and you can see the effect of the fire on them,” he said.
Easter Island Mayor Pedro Edmunds Paoa said he believed the fire “wasn’t an accident,” telling local station Radio Pauta that “all fires in Rapa Nui are caused by human beings “.
“The damage caused by the fire cannot be undone,” added Edmunds Paoa. “The cracking of an original and emblematic stone cannot be recovered, no matter how many millions of euros or dollars are put into it.”
The park said a “shortage of volunteers” hampered officials’ ability to control the fire. Total damage at the site has not yet been assessed.
The fire comes just three months after the island reopened to tourism on August 5, after two years of closure due to Covid-19.
We were seen in a valley in Rapa Nui National Park on Easter Island, Chile on October 6. Photograph: Municipality of Rapanui/AFP/Getty Images
Before the pandemic, Easter Island, where the main livelihood is tourism, received 160,000 visitors a year, on two daily flights.
But with the arrival of Covid-19 in Chile, tourist activity was completely suspended.
The island was long inhabited by Polynesian people, before Chile annexed it in 1888. The monuments are believed to represent the living ancestors of the Polynesian people of Easter Island, who were once linked to the ritual activity, forming a focal point for communities.