According to authorities, thousands of pictures were burned in a serious fire at an art museum in the Black Sea region of Abkhazia.
More than 4,000 works from the 19th and 20th centuries went up in flames in the building in the Abkhazian capital Sukhumi on Sunday night.
"This is irreparable damage to us," said the director of the National Picture Gallery, Suram Sakanija, according to the Abkhaz news agency Asnypress.
According to the emergency services, the fire broke out in the roof area - according to initial findings, an electrical cable burned through there.
“All the pictures were burned,” said Sakanija.
Photos showed the building in the city center ablaze.
Among the works destroyed were paintings by Abkhaz and foreign artists.
300 pictures by the Abkhazian artist Alexander Schervashidze-Tschatschba (1867-1969), who is also known abroad, were destroyed.
The Black Sea region of Abkhazia belongs to Georgia under international law and is recognized by Russia as an independent state.
The area, known for its picturesque landscapes and with its own language and culture, broke away from Georgia after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
After the South Caucasus war in August 2008 between Russia and Georgia over the breakaway region of South Ossetia, Moscow stationed soldiers in both areas.
ala/dpa