France’s luxury-goods tycoons are among the country’s wealthiest individuals and companies to pledge at least 600 million euros ($678 million) to help in the reconstruction of Notre Dame Cathedral a day after the Paris landmark was ravaged by fire.
Firefighters declared success Tuesday morning in a 12-hour-plus battle to extinguish an inferno engulfing Paris' iconic Notre Dame Cathedral that claimed its spire and roof but spared its bell towers.
“This tragedy is striking all the French people, and beyond that, all those attached to spiritual values,” Francois-Henri Pinault, 56, said in a statement. “Faced with this tragedy, everyone wishes to give life back to this jewel of our heritage as soon as possible.” Restoration of Notre Dame was already under way before the fire, with a budget of about 150 million euros , Michel Picaud, of the fundraising group the Friends of Notre-Dame de Paris, said in an interview on BFM TV. That may need to be tripled after the fire, he said.
Bernard Arnault, 70, is the main shareholder of LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE and ranks third globally and first in France with a $90.4-billion fortune. L’Oreal heiress Francoise Bettencourt Meyers is the country’s second-wealthiest and the world’s richest woman with a $53.5-billion fortune. Construction company Vinci SA, the Duval family that owns property developer Groupe Duval, and banks BNP Paribas SA, Societe Generale SA and Credit Agricole SA also said they would give.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Notre Dame fire: Macron promises to rebuild, but Paris monument suffers ‘colossal damage’The spire, roof and interior frame of the city’s most-visited monument were reduced to ash.
Read more »
Paris mourns its 'Lady' after Notre Dame infernoAt dawn on Tuesday, as the first blush of sunrise illuminated Notre-Dame de Paris, residents gathered on the left bank of the river Seine to see the damage wrought by a devastating fire that engulfed the historic cathedral overnight.
Read more »
French President Emmanuel Macron vows to rebuild Paris' Notre Dame after devastating fireThe massive fire that ripped through Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral, collapsing the roof and spire, was likely caused accidentally, prosecutors say.
Read more »
Paris terror attack hero helped save Notre Dame artifacts, mayor saysA Paris chaplain who tended to victims of the 2015 terror attack in the city has been hailed as a hero once again, after he reportedly entered the burning Notre Dame cathedral to rescue priceless relics from the blaze
Read more »
For travelers, Notre Dame remains the heart of Paris after devastating fire'For travelers, who are not of the city nor, in reality, part of its fabric, the near-loss induced the kind of panic that comes when they see a priceless work of art, a part of our cultural patrimony, in flames.'
Read more »