PARIS —

In a brazen, seven-minute strike, thieves used a basket lift to reach the Louvre on Sunday morning and, as tourists were already inside, forced a window, smashed display cases and fled with jewels of “inestimable value,” France's interior minister said.

The world’s most visited museum closed for the day as police sealed gates and ushered visitors out during the investigation.

“A robbery took place this morning at the opening of the Louvre Museum ,” Culture Minister Rachida Dati wrote on X. The museum cited “exceptional reasons” for the closure. No injuries were reported.

Around 9:30 a.m., several intruders forced open a window, stole jewels from vitrines and escaped on two-wheelers, according to the Interior Ministry. It said forensic work is underway and a precise inventory

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