The sun was already up over Paris and visitors had started to file through the Louvre Museum's corridors when the gang struck.

Within eight minutes, they were speeding away from the heart of the French capital with some of the nation's most valuable treasure.

This is how one of the most shocking thefts in recent memory unfolded.

How did the thieves get in?

At 09:30, two members of the four-strong gang began climbing the ladder onto a balcony leading on to a double window.

The glass and wooden panes were little match for the gang's motorised angle grinders: French authorities have confirmed that the opulent gallery's windows are not reinforced.

By 09:34, the thieves were inside. Unarmed guards fled as the masked intruders stormed towards them with their power tools.

Now only a few inches of glass stood between them and items of incalculable value.

They had gained access to the Gallery of Apollo, a lavish hall which has housed the French crown jewels for well over a century.

This is the window they broke into, using an angle grinder.

The collection of items worn by French royalty and imperial rulers sits in metal cabinets surrounded by the gallery?s golden grandeur and 19th Century paintings.

Footage obtained by the French broadcaster BFMTV appears to show one of the men, wearing a hi-vis vest, using an angle grinder to force open a display case.

BBC Verify has confirmed the footage was shot from the south-west corner of the gallery.

CCTV images from inside the museum confirm it took them no more than three minutes and 57 seconds to force their way into two cases, grab the jewels and leave, a French minister has said.

The thieves were quick and deliberate: they knew exactly what they were there for.

France's crown jewels consist of what could be saved or recovered after the 1789 Revolution. Most of what was in the cases dated from the 19th Century, worn by the two imperial families of Napoleon and his nephew Napoleon III.

The missing objects

In total, eight items were taken. French officials have described the haul as priceless. Beyond the raw value of the precious stones and metals, they have what one minister described as "immeasurable" heritage value.

The items

1-3 Tiara, necklace and a pair of earrings worn by Queen Hortense and Queen Marie-Am?lie

4-5 Emerald necklace and earrings given as a wedding gift by Napoleon Bonaparte to his second wife Marie-Louise

6-7 Pearl and diamond tiara and diamond brooch of Empress Eug?nie

8 Brooch known as the 'reliquary brooch'

But it didn't go entirely to plan: the Eug?nie Crown was found damaged on the escape route, police have confirmed, seemingly dropped.French prosecutors have also revealed the two thieves left behind some equipment, including one of the hi-vis jackets, which will be analysed by police.

By 09:35, word was spreading among museum staff that something was happening in the Gallery of Apollo. An alarm sounded in a control room but it is not clear how widely it was heard. Police are still investigating whether it was functioning properly.

One witness told the BBC he saw guards marching people away from the Gallery of Apollo, while others rushed towards it.

He said guests were initially ushered towards another part of the museum but the "atmosphere changed" as another message came through on their radios.

Before leaving at around 09:38, the thieves attempted to set fire to the mechanical ladders they had used to gain access, before reportedly mounting Yamaha TMAX scooters, which are capable of reaching over 100mph, and escaping through Paris's narrow streets.

Investigators believe they headed south in the direction of the A6 highway, a main road leading out of the city.

For now, where they fled to remains a mystery - and any clue as to their whereabouts is worth as much to French police as the jewels they took. (BBC)

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