Overview
- A Cairo University paper reports a spreading fissure across the entrance and burial chamber ceilings, with Esna shale under stress and rainwater ingress increasing long-term structural risk.
- Researchers describe rising humidity and persistent fungal growth degrading murals, linking the deterioration to a 1994 flash flood that soaked the tomb.
- Lead author Sayed Hemeda urges mitigation such as regulating internal humidity, targeted reinforcement, reducing overburden above the tomb, and installing removable supports.
- Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities says reports of an impending collapse are untrue, citing recent inspections with Getty Conservation Institute experts and stating the murals are not in danger.
- Coverage by international outlets amplified the study’s alarming findings, while the dispute between researchers and Egyptian authorities remains unresolved and no emergency plan has been announced.