Paris, Apr 16: The fire at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris has reportedly been extinguished now, but the complete assessment of the damage to the 850-year-old UNESCO world heritage landmark is yet to be made.
After 400 firefighters battled for over nine hours to douse the inferno which consumed the iconic church's spire, reports quoted officials from Paris as saying that the main structure of Notre-Dame has been saved and preserved" as well as the two towers.
The fire is completely under control. It is partially extinguished, there are residual fires to put out, news agency ANI quoted AFP as saying. Notre-Dame fire "under control, partially extinguished", the AFP report further said French President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to rebuild Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, as per an AFP report. Macron expressed relief that "the worst had been avoided" in a blaze that had at one point threatened the entire edifice, the report further said. US President Donald Trump on Monday called the blaze engulfing Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris "horrible" and suggested the deployment of flying water tankers. "So horrible to watch the massive fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Perhaps flying water tankers could be used to put it out. Must act quickly!" Trump tweeted. The United Nations' cultural agency said Monday that it "stood at France's side to save and restore" Notre-Dame cathedral, "a priceless heritage" which erupted in flames earlier in the afternoon. Audrey Azoulay, secretary general of UNESCO, said the agency was monitoring the effort to put out the blaze, which consumed the iconic church's spire as flames spread across the roof. Notre-Dame was added to UNESCO's world heritage list in 1991, Azoulay added in a tweet. OneIndia News with PTI inputs