The break-in occurred around 9:30 a.m., the French interior ministry said in a statement. Several individuals broke into the building and into the Galerie d’Apollon by forcing open a window, the ministry said. They stole jewellery from display cases and fled on scooters, it said.
The thieves accessed the building on the Seine docks, where work is taking place, according the French daily Le Parisien. They used a freight elevator to access the targeted room, the newspaper said.
The thieves took nine pieces from the Napoleon and the Empress jewellery collection, according to the Parisien report.
The interior ministry said a detailed list of the stolen items is being compiled. “Beyond their market value, these items have inestimable heritage and historical value,” the ministry said in a statement.
The Regent, the largest diamond in the collection weighing more than 140 carats, was not stolen, according to the Parisien report.
The Louvre is the world’s most visited museum and houses many famous artworks and other valuable items.