Balcony from which thieves broke into Louvre was not monitored by security cameras

No security cameras were monitoring the second-floor balcony where thieves gained access to the Louvre to steal historic jewels worth over $100 million, CNN writes, citing the museum’s director Laurence des Cars.

During a French Senate committee hearing, des Cars said the eastern balcony of the Apollo Gallery, where robbers broke into the building on Sunday using an angle grinder, was not covered by the museum’s aging camera system.

“Unfortunately, on the Apollo Gallery side, the only camera installed faces west and therefore does not cover the balcony affected by the break-in,” des Cars told the hearing, as French investigators raced to recover the stolen jewels.

Des Cars told the hearing that the “absolutely obsolete, even absent, technical infrastructure” to monitor the country’s most valuable treasures was a “terrible observation” for the world’s largest museum. She said she’d offered her resignation to Culture Minister Rachida Dati after the robbery, but it was rejected.