France To Organize International Contest On Rebuilding Notre Dame's Spire - Prime Minister

France will hold an international contest among architects to replace the spire of the Notre Dame cathedral after the blaze that occurred earlier this week, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said on Wednesday.

PARIS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th April, 2019) France will hold an international contest among architects to replace the spire of the Notre Dame cathedral after the blaze that occurred earlier this week, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said on Wednesday.

"An international architectural contest to restore the spire of Notre Dame cathedral will be organized, " Philippe said following a session of the Cabinet.

A massive fire broke out at the cathedral on Monday evening, causing the collapse of the Notre Dame spire and two-thirds of the roof. The blaze was fully extinguished only on Tuesday morning. Though the inferno badly damaged the iconic church, the two main towers, relics and main works of art were saved.

The reasons for the tragedy are still unclear but might have been linked to the renovation work. Prosecutors consider accidental ignition to be the most likely cause of the incident.

French President Emmanuel Macron has described the inferno as a "terrible tragedy" and promised to rebuild the 850-year-old cathedral within five years.

The donors, including beauty giant L'Oreal, luxury goods company LVMH, have already pledged over $1 billion for restoring the cathedral, French media reported earlier in the day.