France's Macron orders tighter security as Louvre reopens doors

French President Emmanuel Macron Wednesday ordered stepped-up security measures at the Louvre, as the Paris museum reopened its doors days after a shocking daytime heist.

The reopening comes hours before the museum's director is set to face a grilling by senators to explain how thieves made off with an estimated 88 million euros ($102 million) in jewels from the world-famous museum.

The heist has renewed scrutiny of security measures in French museums, after two were hit by thefts last month.

During a Wednesday meeting of cabinet ministers, Macron ordered a "speeding up" of security measures at the Louvre, government spokeswoman Maude Bregeon said.

Scores of investigators are looking for the culprits, working on the theory that it was an organised crime group that clambered up a ladder on a truck to break into the museum, then dropped a diamond-studded crown as they fled.

The investigation "is progressing", Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told local media on Wednesday, saying "more than 100 investigators" had been mobilised.

"I have full confidence, that's for sure, that we will find the perpetrators," he said.

The thieves made off with eight pieces, including an emerald-and-diamond necklace that Napoleon I gave his wife Empress Marie-Louise and a diadem that once belonged to the Empress Eugenie, which is dotted with nearly 2,000 diamonds.

Calling the financial loss "extraordinary", Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said the greater damage was to France's historical heritage.

- 'We're happy' -

Disappointed tourists were turned away at the entrance of the Louvre in the heart of Paris in the days following the theft.

But on Wednesday, museum-goers flocked to the institution for the 9:00 am (0700 GMT) opening, though the Apollo Gallery -- scene of Sunday's theft -- remained closed.

"We're happy it's reopening today because we have our tickets booked," said Nora Contract, a US tourist visiting with her husband, Jonathan.

The world's most visited museum, whose extensive collection includes the Mona Lisa, last year welcomed nine million people to its extensive hallways and galleries.

Museum director Laurence des Cars has not made any public statement since the theft and is set to appear before the Senate's culture committee from 4:30 pm (1430 GMT) Wednesday.

Des Cars, who became the first woman to run the Louvre in 2021, is expected to be questioned about security at the Apollo Gallery, which houses the royal collection of gems.

The museum on Tuesday hit back at criticism that the display cases protecting the stolen jewellery were fragile, saying they were installed in 2019 and "represented a considerable improvement in terms of security".

But a French art specialist told AFP on the condition of anonymity that in 2024 they were able to get close enough to a work by Italian Renaissance painter Raphael to touch it "without any alarm going off or a curator calling out to me".

- 'Not a single guard' -

Union representative Christian Galani, who works at the Louvre, said the museum does not have enough security guards after job cuts over the past 15 years, even as visitor numbers have jumped.

"You can walk through several areas without seeing a single guard," he said.

French daily Le Figaro reported Tuesday that des Cars had tendered her resignation but that it had been refused, and Macron had supported her staying.

The Louvre declined to comment on her offer to step down when contacted by AFP.

Just last month, criminals broke into Paris's Natural History Museum, making off with gold nuggets worth more than $1.5 million.

French authorities on Tuesday said a 24-year-old Chinese woman has been charged and put in detention in that case after she was arrested in Barcelona, while trying to dispose of nearly one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of melted gold pieces.

Also last month, thieves stole two dishes and a vase from a museum in the central city of Limoges, with the losses estimated at $7.6 million.

But thefts from the Louvre have been rarer.

In 1911, an Italian stole the Mona Lisa, but the painting was recovered and today sits behind security glass.