Egyptian Museum Employees Face Trial Over Botched Repair of King Tut’s Mask

Eight Egyptian museum employees face trial over the botched repair of King Tutankhamun’s mask, prosecutors said Sunday.

The workers will be charged with “gross negligence” after they allegedly scratched the 3,300-year-old golden burial mask of Egypt’s most famous pharaoh while trying to repair it in 2014, according to the Guardian.

The beard on the mask was accidentally knocked off and was then glued back on with epoxy, prosecutors said in a statement. “In an attempt to cover up the damage they inflicted, they used sharp instruments such as scalpels and metal tools to remove traces of adhesive on the mask, causing damage and scratches that remain,” the statement said, according to the Guardian.

The eight employees, including the then-head of the Egyptian Museum, each face fines and disciplinary measures, including dismissal, the Guardian reports.

[Guardian]