Police hunt thieves after £7.8m Louvre jewel heist

Thieves stole two diamonds worth more than £7.8 million from a display case at a Paris antique show near the Louvre.

The theft occurred mid-afternoon yesterday at the Antiquary's Biennial trade show at the Carrousel du Louvre while a worker was on a break.

Police found no alarm system or video cameras at the display window, but there was no sign of a break-in.

The culprits made off with a 47-carat white diamond and a 15.74 carat blue diamond.

"There was a little incident - a display case of one of our jewellers was forcibly opened," said show president Christian Deydier. "All of the security officers were there. It happened in a few seconds, surely. The two stones disappeared."

Monsieur Deydier said he knew nothing more about the stones, adding: "Everything is in the hands of the police."

The show is open to the public and brings together about 400 industry professionals at the Carrousel du Louvre, a shopping area not affiliated with the museum.