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Topics: World News, Art, Crime
Brenna Cooper
Tourists are reporting 'chaotic' scenes at the Louvre museum in Paris, following reports of a robbery.
Arguably the most famous art museum in the world, the Louvre is home to masterpieces such as Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo statue and Eugène Delacroix's depiction of the French Revolution, Liberty Leading the People.
Earlier today (19 October) France's Culture Minister, Rachida Dati, said there had been a robbery at the world famous museum.
Confirming the news in a statement, Dati said: "I am on site alongside the museum teams and the police. Investigations under way."
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She added that police had reported 'no injuries' at the scene.
The museum has also confirmed that it will be closed for the remainder of the day due to 'exceptional' circumstances, which is certain to cause mass disruption among the tens of thousands of visitors who pile through the museum's doors every day.
Videos circulating online show tourists being swiftly evacuated from the premises while the museum's main courtyard, which is typically packed with queuing visitors, stands completely empty.
Meanwhile a journalist from the Swindon Advertiser who happened to be waiting in line when the closure was announced, described the moments following the museum's closure as 'chaos' as large crowds of people attempted to leave the complex at the same time.
Early reports indicate that masked thieves have taken around 'nine items' of jewellery from the Apollo Gallery.
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As per the Daily Mail, who quote French police sources, the group of criminals nicked priceless items, including a necklace and a brooch once belonging to Emperor Napoleon and his wife Josephine Bonaparte in broad daylight.
A report from the BBC, citing French media, states that three masked men were able to access the gallery via an outside lift installed for renovation work. The men were then able to break windows to access the room and later escaped on a moped.
The monetary value of the items stolen is currently unknown.
This isn't the first time the Louvre has been targeted by robbers, with a famous 1911 heist involving the Mona Lisa being stolen by a former employee.
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The Italian national Vincenzo Peruggia had briefly worked at the museum as a glazer and likely worked on constructing the box frame, which protects the iconic masterpiece from the public.
On 21 August 1911, Peruggia entered the museum dressed as a worker and found the gallery which houses the Mona Lisa empty. He removed the painting from its case and then escaped down a service stairwell.
The painting would remain missing for a further two years until Peruggia was apprehended in December 1913.