31.01.2011, 11:52 28671

Egyptian mummies damaged in Cairo Museum

Egyptian mummies damaged in Cairo Museum

Almaty. January 31. Kazakhstan Today - Two mummies at the Cairo Museum were damaged during a robbery attempt in Egypt, the agency reports.

Two mummies from the Pharaonic era exhibited at the Cairo Museum were badly damaged during a robbery attempt staged during street protests, the head of the museum's antiquities department said Sunday, channelnewsasia.com reported.

Taking advantage of a fire raging through the nearby headquarters of the ruling National Democratic Party in downtown Cairo, intruders climbed the gates, broke a window and entered the museum in bid to steal the mummies.

"But demonstrators in collaboration with security forces stopped the thieves and returned the relics to the museum - but they were already damaged," Zahi Hawass told AFP.

"Only their heads were intact," he added.

The fate of the vandals remained unknown.

The Egyptian museum, which houses invaluable treasures of antiquity, was surrounded on Saturday by a human chain formed by dozens of Egyptians to fend off looters.

The army, deployed in three major cities including Cairo since Friday, had called "on the Egyptian people to protect the nation, Egypt, and themselves" against looters.

Tanks rolled into posts around the museum on Sunday to protect its national treasures against new acts of vandalism. But the tourism magnet kept its doors shut to the public.

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