Paris catacombs closed after human bones scattered

PARIS — Paris’ underground bone collection, the catacombs, has been closed to the public indefinitely after being vandalized.

Ordinarily, the creepy collection of human remains — cleared from city cemeteries long ago — is orderly, with bones piled in stacks along underground tunnels. But a post-vandalism photo in Le Parisien newspaper showed bones and skulls scattered along the walking paths.

Isabelle Montagne, spokeswoman for the Paris prosecutor’s office, said today that an investigation has been opened into the weekend incidents. The catacombs have been closed because the littered site has become hazardous, she said. Montagne and a police spokesman declined to give details of the damage.

The catacombs are a vast underground network of tunnels holding the bones of more than 6 million Parisians. Near the end of the 18th century, Paris’ cemeteries were filled to capacity, so city officials decided to transfer the contents of graves to quarries.

The section open to the public is only a sampling of the secret world: More than 186 miles of tunnels run beneath the city. The catacombs are visited by 257,000 tourists each year, according to city historical officials.