Louvre Sinks to New Low After Flooding Damages Hundreds of Books

A major water leak in the Louvre’s Egyptology department has damaged about 400 rare books, some of which date back hundreds of years. The incident was caused by a malfunctioning valve in a pipe above a book storage area, causing gallons of “dirty water” to drench the books and soak the carpet so thoroughly that it dripped through to a lower floor, narrowly avoiding an electrical cabinet and creating a potential fire risk. The malfunctioning pipe had reportedly been a known problem for years, with staff warning it could cause severe damage to exhibits and reference materials. Requests to move the library to a safer area had been repeatedly denied. Francis Steinbock, the museum’s deputy director, told French media that no “precious books” were affected by the flood, and the waterlogged volum