Paris: Napoleon-era jewels were stolen from the iconic museum Louvre in Paris on Sunday at 9.30 am, the entire operation lasted seven minutes. There are world’s most iconic historical artefacts, including the Mona Lisa.

The robbery occurred around 9:30 am. The intruders entered via the under-construction Seine-facing facade and used a hydraulic ladder to reach the Apollo gallery, Le Parisien. The Apollo Gallery had a selection of the French Crown Jewels on display at that time.

France’s Interior Minister Laurent Nunez calling it a major robbery and said that the robbers entered the museum using a hydraulic ladder and made away with priceless jewellery. The robbers broke in by cutting the windowpanes with a disc cutter that a team had supposedly done scouting before the daring heist. The entire operation lasted seven minutes, he said.

The robbers made away with nine pieces from the jewellery collection of Napoleon and the Empress. One stolen jewel was later found outside the museum, he said.

The world-renowned museum is yet to comment on the incident. It has cited exceptional reasons for the sudden closure. The Paris prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation and is currently assessing the damage.

France’s Culture Minister Rachida Dati first reported the robbery Sunday morning. She said that no injury was reported and she was at the site with museum staff and police. Visuals showed barricades erected outside the Louvre and a chaotic crowd waiting for the museum to open. Traffic has also been regulated around its premises.

It houses over 33,000 artifacts, including antique items, sculptures, and paintings. The top attraction is the Mona Lisa, the world’s best-known artwork, besides the Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory of Samothrace.

Authorities have yet to say what pieces were stolen from Paris’ Louvre on Sunday. Among the items displayed there are gems making up France’s crown jewels, including one of the world’s most valuable diamonds.

According to the authorities the thieves pulled up outside the Louvre on Sunday morning, on a road along the Seine river, and used an extendable ladder to break into an upper window that looks into the Galerie d’Apollon, or Apollo Gallery.  The resulting hall, an ornate space of gold leaf and paintings, would be the model for the Palace of Versailles’ world-famous Hall of Mirrors; finished 20 years later after Louis XIV left Paris for Versailles.

The gallery hosts the Côte de Bretagne spinel, a red-hued gemstone in the shape of a dragon which once belonged to Anne de Bretagne. There are also three important diamonds in the collection once owned by France’s ousted royalty. The first, the Regent, is one of the most famous in the world and weighs 140.64 carats. Sotheby’s has estimated the diamond to be worth more than $60 million.

The collection also includes an emerald necklace given by Napoleon to Marie-Louise on the occasion of their marriage, and Louis XIV’s hardstone vessel collection, which comprises some 800 pieces.