Auto statue
A Chilean man crashed his pickup truck into one of Easter Island's sacred stone statues over the weekend, toppling the statue and sparking anger on the island. Image Credit: Shutterstock

One of the world renowned moai statues on Easter Island has suffered “incalculable” damage after being hit by a pick-up truck.

A Chilean resident of Rapa Nui and owner of the Chevrolet which crashed into one of the statues, has been arrested for damaging the national monument at the UNESCO World Heritage site.

Auto statues
A resident of Rapa Nui, known as Easter Island, Chile, was arrested for damaging one of the island's sacred moai statues with his pickup truck... Image Credit: Facebook / Comunidad Indígena Ma'u Henua

Now, the mayor of Easter Island has called for vehicle restrictions to be introduced around its archaeological locations in Chile.

Police believe the truck rolled down a hill and hit the statue's ceremonial platform after the owner had wedged a rock under the front wheel to compensate for a broken parking brake.

Auto statue
Police said the truck rolled down a hill and struck the statue's ceremonial platform, or "ahu". Image Credit: Facebook / Comunidad Indígena Ma'u Henua

The island's famous monolithic heads are each between 1,000 and 500 years old, with the largest measuring up to 40 feet tall and weighing 75 tons.

It was only last June that experts from the British Museum had travelled to Easter Island to discuss measures on how to help preserve the statues.

For more car news and reviews, head to www.wheels.ae