Need To Inform. A Mayor on Easter Island Is Up in Arms After a Runaway Pickup Truck Knocked Over....

A sacred Moai sculpture suffers severes damage in an accident blamed a catastrophic brake failure.

The mayor of Easter Isalnd is determined to restrict vehicular access to heritage sites after a runaway truck collided with a sacred statute. The accident caused "incalculable" damage to one of the Island´s famous most statutes. The pick-up truck, which was driven by Chilean national who lives on the Pacific Island, rolled down a hill and toppled the standing figure in the crash. Preliminary investigations suggest that the accident was due to a brake failure.

Moai are sacred to the indigenous people of the island, which locals call Rapa Nui. The community believes that the monuments contain spirits, and the stone figures are regarded as living embodiments of their ancestors.

The island´s mayor, Pedro Edmuns, says he will propose new traffic rules to the city council after the accident on Sunday, March 1. The politician says he wants to ban vehicles from entering heritage and archaelogical sites to protect the sculptures and avoid a repeat of the accidental damage.

That reluctabt looks set to change as the number of tourists continues to grow. The mayor said that around 12, 000 tourists arrive each mont, swelling the island´s population, which has recently jumped from 8,000 to 12,000 people.

The owner of the truck has been charged with the crime of damaging a national monument. He faces a fine between 2,502,050 and 10, 004,200 Chilean pesos ( $3,000 to $12,000)nas well as other criminal consequences pending the conclusion of a 90 day investigation into the incident.

The standing figures are shrouded in mystery. Archeologists recently proposed that they were placed close their cources of fresh water- a precious. As well as moments to their ancestors,, it turns out they may have also served a more utilitarian purpose.