LOC14:32
11:32 GMT
Qurtuba Mosque
MADRID, Aug 9 (KUNA) -- Spanish authorities have reopened the historic Qurtuba (Cordaba) Mosque following a fire that inflicted damage, the official Spanish Television said.
The television station quoted unidentified local sources as saying that the accident had taken place due to a fire in an electrical sweeping machine. It broke out at 9 p.m. and was put out in three hours. However, firemen remained at the site until dawn to ensure that flames would not recur.
Cordoba Dean Jose Maria Bellido, also cited by the official television, indicated that the accident could have been catastrophic had the fire squads failed to scramble and contain the flames.
The damage happened in the eastern section of the mosque and did not spread to the part that dates back to the 8th AD century and contains the most valuable relics, he said.
It was the third fire at the old mosque after the May 1910 and the July 2001 blazes. The latest one scorched a large number of documents.
Qurtuba Mosque was built in 783 AD after the Islamic conquer of Andalusia. It was converted into a Cathedral following Christian forces' takeover of the country. (end)
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