CHILE FIRE DAMAGES EASTER ISLAND FIGURES

Fires that ripped through part of Chile’s Easter Island in October have caused permanent damage to some of its iconic carved stone gures. e high temperatures of the res accelerated the process through which the giant carvings, known as moai, will eventually turn into sand, authorities said. Half of Easter Island’s 800 moais stand inside the Rano Raraku volcano, with the re that swept across 104 acres of surrounding land and inside the volcano damaging 20% of the area’s gures. Mayor Pedro Edmunds Paoa accused Chile of abandoning the island, saying: “ e work of avoiding accidents and res involves a prevention plan that requires resources, and that’s what we don’t have.