A 500-year-old World Heritage Site in Japan was burned to the ground after it caught fire and succumbed to the unforgiving flames.
It took around 100 fighters and 30 fire trucks to extinguish the flames that took over Shuri Castle in Okinawa on Thursday, October 31.
Despite their best efforts, the 14th-century site, which holds great value for the local community as well as global culture, was reduced to ashes.
Constructed during the Ryukyu Dynasty, the wooden castle located at the peak of the hill that overlooks Naha was previously destroyed during World War II but reopened in 1992 following extensive renovation project.
“All the main buildings have burnt down, with nothing left behind. Efforts to extinguish the fire are continuing, with 30 fire engines and some 100 firefighters involved. We have no reports of injuries,” Daisuke Furugen of Naha fire department said in an interview with AFP.
As of this writing, there is no confirmed cause of the fire, though the reports confirmed that festival preparations had been taking place at the castle since October 27.
“Five hundred years of Ryukyuan history (12th-17th century) are represented by this group of sites and monuments,” UNESCO description of the historic site reads.
“The ruins of the castles, on imposing elevated sites, are evidence for the social structure over much of that period, while the sacred sites provide mute testimony to the rare survival of an ancient form of religion into the modern age.”
As for the locals, Shuri Castle was far more than just the World Heritage Site.
“For us, Shuri Castle is like a god,” resident Tomoko Miyazato, 84, said.
“I am extremely saddened by this. I am utterly in shock. We have lost our symbol,” Naha Mayor Mikiko Shiroma added in his speech.
“Naha city will make our greatest possible efforts to do everything in our power [to deal with this disaster].”
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Replaced!