A mishap during the lowering of a massive sculpture into the Atlantic caused the replicas of Easter Island statues to be crushed.
The 150-foot-long assemblage of 15 giant heads was being installed Sunday off Deerfield Beach. The barge on which the 300-ton sculptures were erected rolled over and shattered the replicas of Polynesian gods.
The project was intended to create a unique artificial reef and was funded with a half-million-dollar donation from a Boca Raton philanthropist, who let out an anguished moan as the barge begin to list.
An engineer involved in the project told the Sun Sentinel the risks were known and workers did their best to pull it off without damage.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
