ICCROM Pledges To Provide Assistance To French Gov't After Notre Dame Blaze

The International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM), an intergovernmental organization based in Rome, said on Tuesday it was ready to provide all necessary assistance following a devastating fire at the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th April, 2019) The International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM), an intergovernmental organization based in Rome, said on Tuesday it was ready to provide all necessary assistance following a devastating fire at the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris.

A fire broke out at the iconic cathedral on Monday evening, causing its spire and two-thirds of the roof to collapse. The blaze was fully extinguished only on Tuesday morning. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and several European nations have already expressed readiness to contribute to the building's restoration.

"ICCROM is with Paris and the world at this tragic moment.

ICCROM stands ready to provide assistance and support through the UNESCO team, and to cooperate with the French government in whatever form needed to assess the damage," ICCROM Director-General Webber Ndoro was quoted as saying in a statement.

The ICCROM called the fire "a terrible loss for the world" and extended its sympathy to Parisians, the French people and the Catholic Church.

French President Emmanuel Macron has described the inferno at the 850-year-old cathedral as a "terrible tragedy" and promised to rebuild it. The cause of the blaze remains unclear but Paris public prosecutor Remy Heitz told reporters that nothing pointed to arson and that an accident was the likeliest cause.