Overview
- The museum says the damaged items are late‑19th and early‑20th century Egyptology journals and scientific documentation, not unique patrimonial works, and reports no irreversible losses at this stage.
- Officials attribute the leak to an accidental valve opening in an obsolete hydraulic network for heating and ventilation that has been offline for months and is slated for replacement starting September 2026.
- Drying, conservation and rebinding are planned, and an internal investigation is underway to clarify causes and responsibilities for the late‑November incident.
- Specialist reporting, citing photos and a CHSCT email, describes dirty water and claims some items are irrecoverable, a characterization the Louvre disputes as staff point to years of maintenance warnings.
- The strike call by CGT, CFDT and Sud follows recent structural closures and October’s high‑profile jewel theft, with a Senate administrative report due this week and a previously announced 2026 ticket hike for non‑EEA visitors to fund modernization.