A forest fire damaged several of Easter Island’s giant moai stone statues and decimated a section of the island. Authorities claim that a wildfire on Easter Island damaged some of its famous stone-carved monuments in “irreparable” ways. After spreading across more than 100 hectares surrounding the Rano Raraku volcano, a UNESCO world heritage site, the fire, regarded as arson, “completely burnt” a number of the famed moai sculptures.
According to Pedro Edmunds, the mayor of Easter Island, the fire was intentionally caused. “The damage caused by the fire can’t be undone,” he said. The damage is “irreparable,” according to Ariki Tepano, director of the national park, who also noted that “the moai are entirely burned and you can see the effect of the fire on them.” Visitors are not permitted in the area while an investigation is being conducted.
Around a thousand of the ancient statues were carved by the local Rapa Nui people more than 500 years ago, and they can be found on Easter Island, which is situated around 2,174 miles (3,500 km) off the coast of Chile. In recent years, archaeologists learned that the gigantic heads had bodies that were buried underneath. The typical height of a moai is 13 feet, but some are up to 33 feet tall.
Polynesians have long inhabited the island before Chile took control of it in 1888. The monuments, which once provided communities with a focal point and were associated with ritualistic activities, are thought to represent the living ancestors of Easter Island’s Polynesian residents.
Impact of COVID-19 on the Island
After being closed to visitors for two years due to COVID-19, the island was reopened to tourism on August 5th, barely three months ago. Easter Island, where tourism is the principal economy, saw about 160,000 tourists a year before the outbreak. However, travel was halted when the coronavirus reached Chile.