British Museum sacks worker over 'missing' treasures

LONDON: The British Museum in London has sacked a staff member after treasures, including gold, jewellery and gems of semi-precious stones, were reported "missing, stolen or damaged", with a police probe currently underway, the media reported on Thursday.

In a statement, British Museum director Hartwig Fischer said the museum would "throw our efforts into the recovery of objects", the BBC reported.

"This is a highly unusual incident. I know I speak for all colleagues when I say that we take the safeguarding of all the items in our care extremely seriously.

"We have already tightened our security arrangements and we are working alongside outside experts to complete a definitive account of what is missing, damaged and stolen," Fischer was quoted as saying in the statement.

According to the museum, none of the missing items, which dated from the 15th Century BC to the 19th Century AD, had recently been on display and were kept primarily for academic and research purposes.

Legal action will be taken against the staff member who was fired, it added.

Meanwhile, the Economic Crime Command of the Metropolitan Police has started its probe but no arrests have been made so far, reports the BBC.

The British Museum has also started an independent review of security.

One of the UK's largest tourist attractions, the Bloomsbury-based museum sees more than six million people visiting it each year.

Its collection spans six continents and two million years of history, including the Parthenon sculptures, also known as the Elgin Marbles.