Egypt sends 8 to trial for botched up repair of King Tut’s golden mask

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

Eight Egyptians were referred to trial for for “gross negligence” after they allegedly botched up while repairing the famed golden burial mask of King Tut late last year.

A canopic coffinette of a King Tut exhibit. (AP File Photo)

Prosecutors said in a Sunday 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 had not been determined, but that it could have been recent.