Quake-hit Indonesian temples need years of repairs

0 Comments | AFP, May, 2007

PRAMBANAN, Indonesia (AFP) — Damage to one of Indonesia's most spectacular temple complexes caused by last year's devastating Java earthquake was so extensive that repairs will take at least five years, UNESCO says.

Some of the temples at Prambanan are threatening to topple and restoration of the entire Hindu compound, the largest in the country, will be slow and difficult, according to the UN culture agency.

"It's not just putting back the stones, like a facelift," said UNESCO's Himalchuli Gurung, adding that repair work has not yet started.

"There has been physical and structural damage, and there are a lot of internal cracks," she told AFP.

One estimate has put the cost of rebuilding the UNESCO World Heritage site at 5.8 million dollars.

...