Flood destroys goddess demeter's crypt in Kerch

A flood in the town of Kerch (Crimean peninsula, Ukraine) has practically destroyed the world's famous antique monument - the Greek goddess Demeter's crypt.

The custodians of the crypt reported on Tuesday that considerable damage had been done to the murals - a masterpiece of Bosphorus painting of the early 1st century.

The walls of the antique crypt are covered with images of Demeter, goddess of agricultural fertility, Hermes, patron of travellers, Pluto, god of the underworld, the nymph Calypso, and many other heroes of Greek mythology.

Requests to help save the unique legacy of antiquity have been sent to all international organisations protecting monuments of international importance.