Stone heads ‘irreparable’ after forest fire sweeps park
A forest fire that tore through part of Easter Island has charred some of its monumental carved stone figures, authorities have said. The blaze reportedly swept through the Rapa Nui national park, 3,500km off the west coast of Chile, causing “irreparable” damage to the archaeological site. Rapa Nui has more than 1,000 moai or stone statues – giant heads that are believed to have first been carved in the 13th century by the island’s original inhabitants. The area around the Rano Raraku volcano, a Unesco world heritage site, was reportedly the most affected.