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Irreparable damage to Moái statues 0:27
(CNN) - One of Moái's famous Easter Island statues was destroyed in an accident.
A Chilean resident of the island was arrested on March 1 after his truck - a private, non-commercial vehicle - crashed into one of the stone figures and severely damaged it, both the statue and the ahu or platform on the which was.
Local authorities believe the accident was caused by a brake failure that caused his truck to slide downhill.
On the island, known as Hanga Roa by its native town Rapa Nui, the huge stone heads called Moái have long been a source of intrigue and wonder.
"The damage is incalculable," Camilo Rapu, president of the Rapa Nui indigenous community on Easter Island, told CNN in a statement.
No one was in the van when he crashed. (Credit: Camilo Rapu)
The mayor of the island, Pedro Pablo Petero Edmunds Paoa, calls for stricter regulations that prohibit vehicles from driving about 1,000 Moái on the island declared World Heritage by UNESCO.
Edmunds Paoa tried to approve a measure that prohibited driving eight years ago, he told the Chilean newspaper El Mercurio de Valparaíso, without any effect. He believes that this week's accident could be the motivating factor to consider resubmitting the proposal.
"The Moái are sacred structures of religious value for the Rapa Nui people," Rapu said. "In addition, [the damage of Moái] is an offense to a culture that has lived for many years struggling to recover its heritage and archeology."
Moái statues were carved in solid basalt between the 13th and 16th centuries. (Credit: Tourism of Chile)
Moái statues were carved in solid basalt between the 13th and 16th centuries. (Credit: Tourism of Chile)
Easter Island, a Polynesian island that is a Chilean territory, has long struggled to balance its status as a travel destination with the desire of the local people of Rapa Nui to protect their heritage.
Moái statues represent ancestral figures and may also have been ways of showing where freshwater sources were located.
LOOK: They ask for the return of a Moi to Easter Island from the British Museum
Excessive tourism has been a major concern, since the island can be accessed more easily from the mainland.
In 2019, Jo Anne Van Tilburg, director of the Easter Island Statue Project, told CNN Travel that bad tourist behavior, such as vulgar photos of visitors who pretend to "rummage through noses" of the sacred Moái, was causing tension between travelers and locals.
"There are 1,000 statues and 5,000 people," said Van Tilburg. He urged visitors to the island to show respect for the Rapa Nui community and to hire local guides and services to ensure that tourism revenues remain on the island.
Some measures to curb excess tourism were implemented in 2018, including a modified visa policy that allowed foreigners and non-Rapa Nui Chileans to obtain visas for only 30 days instead of the 90 days allowed before.
Easter Island