Leaks Of Water At The Paris Louvre Museum Damage Hundreds Of Egyptian Antiquities Department Collection Books

Paris Louvre Museum. (Wikimedia Commons/Martin Falbinser)

JAKARTA - Last month's water leak damaged hundreds of books in Egypt's Antiquities Department, Museum of Louvre, Paris, France, underscoring the deteriorating condition of the museum most visited in the world just weeks after the theft of gems that were desperate to uncover security weaknesses.

The La Tribune de l'Art specialist website reports that around 300 to 400 rare books have been affected, blaming poor pipe conditions.

It said the department had long sought funding to protect the collection from the risk, but the effort had not yielded any results.

Louvre Museum deputy administrator Francis Steinbock told BFM TV on Sunday the water pipe leak hit one of three rooms in the library of Egypt's Antiquities Department.

"We have identified between 300 and 400 works, the tally is still ongoing," he said.

"Books that have been consulted by ancient Egyptian experts but are not valuable books," added Steinbock.

Steinbock himself acknowledged the issue had been known for years and said improvements were scheduled for September 2026.

Earlier, four thieves fled in broad daylight with jewelery worth 102 million US dollars on October 19, revealing a striking security gap in Le Louvre.

In November, a structural weakness prompted the closure of part of one of the galleries holding Greek wenturans and offices.

A report published in October by France's public audit agency, known as the Cour des Comptes, stated the museum's inability to update its infrastructure was exacerbated by excessive spending on artwork.