Chainsaw-wielding robbers broke into the Louvre in Paris yesterday and made away with jewellery, several sources said, leading the world's most visited museum to close for the day.

The thieves arrived between 9:30 and 9:40 am (0730 and 0740 GMT) and stole jewellery, a source following the case said, adding its value was still being estimated.

France's Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said that jewellery stolen from the museum was "priceless".

A separate police source said the robbers had drawn up on a scooter armed with small chainsaws and used a goods lift to reach the room they were targeting.

France's Culture Minister Rachida Dati earlier yesterday reported a break-in at the Louvre in Paris. "A robbery took place this morning at the opening of the Louvre Museum," she wrote on X. "No injuries reported. I'm on site with museum staff and police," she added.

The Louvre said on X it was closing its doors for the day "for exceptional reasons".

But contacted by AFP, it did not wish to immediately provide further comment. The seat of French kings until Louis XIV abandoned it for Versailles in the late 1600s, the Louvre is regularly listed as the world's most visited museum.

The exhibition venue welcomed nine million visitors last year.