SANTIAGO, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- The damage caused by forest fires this week to the Moai, monolithic statues on Chile's Easter Island in Polynesia, is irreparable, said the island's mayor Pedro Edmunds Paoa on Thursday.
"The damage is incalculable because there is no recovery for the cracking of an original and emblematic stone, no matter how many millions of euros or dollars they put into it," Edmunds Paoa told local Radio Bio Bio.
The official explained that a group of archaeologists from Easter Island, or Rapa Nui, is leading the research.
On Monday, local authorities declared a red alert on the island due to a forest fire close to inhabited areas.
Carolina Perez, undersecretary of Cultural Heritage of the Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Heritage of Chile, posted on Twitter that the serious fire on the Rano Raraku volcanic crater affected the world heritage site.
"Just two days ago, the fire devastated more than 100 hectares on the island," she added.
Located in the Pacific Ocean, Easter Island encompasses 163.6 square kilometers and is home to some 7,750 inhabitants, concentrated mainly in Hanga Roa, the capital and only town on the island. ■
