FM Qureshi expresses 'deep sadness' over devastating fire in Notre-Dame Cathedral

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Tuesday expressed deep sadness over a colossal fire at the iconic Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.

“FM [foreign minister] has expressed deep sadness about devastating fire at the iconic Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris,” Foreign Office spokesperson Dr Muhammad Faisal tweeted.

“For centuries, it has been a revered place of worship for Catholics around the world. [I] hope that resilient people of France will be able to restore it to its glory,” he quoted the foreign minister as having said.

FM has expressed deep sadness about devastating fire at the iconic Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. For centuries, it has been a revered place of worship for Catholics around the world. hope that resilient people of France will be able to restore it to its glory @francediplo_EN

— Dr Mohammad Faisal (@DrMFaisal) April 16, 2019

A colossal fire swept through the famed Notre-Dame Cathedral in central Paris on Monday, causing a spire to collapse and threatening to destroy the entire masterpiece and its precious artworks.

Read More: Paris stunned as 800-year-old Notre-Dame Cathedral gutted

The fire, which began in the early evening, sent flames and huge clouds of grey smoke billowing into the Paris sky as stunned Parisians and tourists watched on in sheer horror.

Some were in tears, others offered prayers from the banks of the river Seine as the much-loved attraction at the heart of the City of Light was consumed by the inferno.