Easter Island, arson damages some moai trees

A fire that broke out in part ofEaster Island (Rapa Nui) damaged some moai, the celebrated and mysterious statues in the shape of huge heads, dating back more than five hundred years. The fire affected a 60-hectare area near the Rano Raraku volcano and was believed to be of arson origin. The island’s mayor, Pedro Pablo Edmunds Paoa, is sure of this: “All the fires on Rapa Nui,” he told local radio station Radio Pauta, “are caused by human beings.”

Edmunds also made it known that the damage cannot be repaired, no matter how much money can be spent to recover them: according to the first citizen, it is in fact a matter of intervening to rebuild an original appearance that was lost during the fire. Indeed, in the photos circulated by the local community, extensive burns can be seen on some of the statues, but it is not clear how much is actually damaged.

Easter Island, which belongs to Chile, sees the presence of about a thousand moai. It is one of the most remote places in the world and is inhabited by just over seven thousand people, three thousand of whom reside in the capital Hanga Roa, which is also the only city on the island.

Pictured here is fire damage.

Easter Island, arson damages some moai trees

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