Egypt sends eight for trial over botched repair of King Tut burial mask

Eight Egyptians involved in a botched repair of the famous golden burial mask of King Tut have been referred to trial for “gross negligence”.

Prosecutors said in a statement that the 3,300-year old mask, whose beard was accidentally knocked off and hastily glued on with epoxy in 2014, was scratched and damaged as a result.

The mask was put back on display last month after a German-Egyptian team of specialists removed the epoxy and reattached the beard using beeswax, which is often used as an adhesive for antiquities.

Restoration specialist Christian Eckmann said a year ago that the cause of a scratch discovered on the mask had not been determined, but that it could have been recent.