An Easter Island resident caused “incalculable” damage after accidentally crashing his truck into one of the island’s iconic Moai statues.
The island, which is inhabited by native Rapa Nui people, is filled with hundreds of the mysterious figures. The stone-faced statues are considered sacred and were built between the 13th and 16th centuries.
It is believed that the crash was an accident. The man allegedly driving the truck was charged with damaging a national monument after he crossed over a safety zone, had brake trouble, and slid downhill. Both the Moai figure and the platform it sat on, known as the ahu, were badly damaged.
“The damage is incalculable,” Camilo Rapu, president of the Chilean island’s Rapa Nui community, told CNN. He also said that the Rapa Nui people are “very sad and outraged.”
“The Moai are sacred structures of religious value for the Rapa Nui people,” Rapu said. “Furthermore, [the damage of the Moai] is an offense to a culture that has lived many years struggling to recover its heritage and archaeology.”
Easter Island Mayor Pedro Pablo Petero Edmunds Paoa has tried to pass anti-driving laws in the past and is hoping that the incident could galvanize support for restrictions on vehicles driving near the monuments.
