Video appears to show suspected thieves escaping

A video has emerged showing the alleged thieves behind the Louvre heist escaping via a mechanical ladder in broad daylight.

Two people are seen looking around frantically as they slowly descend, minutes after the famous Parisian museum was broken into and €88 million worth of French crown jewels stolen.

The gang of four thieves has not been caught and on Wednesday the Louvre’s boss admitted that staff had not spotted them early enough because there was only one camera in the gallery where the objects were on display.

In the video, the truck with the ladder is seen parked on a busy road along the Seine as vehicles pass by.

Laurence des Cars told French MPs that the Louvre planned to double the number of CCTV cameras in and around the museum.

She admitted that the camera aimed at the Gallery of Apollo, the room on the south side where the jewels were kept, was looking the wrong way.

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau told Ouest France newspaper that up to 150 DNA samples and fingerprints have been collected so far as part of the police investigation.

The theft happened in less than eight minutes, after the thieves arrived at 9:30 am (0730 GMT) on Sunday after the Louvre opened its doors to the public.

They stole eight items, including an emerald necklace and earrings that Napoleon Bonaparte had given as a wedding gift to his second wife, Marie-Louise.

As they fled, they dropped a 19th-century diamond-encrusted crown that belonged to Empress Eugenie.

Although it was recovered, the crown was damaged and des Cars said it was likely crushed when the thieves took it from the display case.