BERLIN, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) -- A burglary took place in Dresden's famous treasure chamber, the so-called Green Vault (Gruenes Gewoelbe) in the Residence Palace, German police confirmed on Monday.
The German newspaper Bild reported that antique jewelry with an art value of about worth up to one billion euros (1.1 billion U.S. dollars) were stolen.
According to Marion Ackermann, director general of the Dresden State Art Collections, the stolen pieces, such as a set of diamonds, were part of the "state treasury" of an 18th century collection.
"We are shocked, also by the brutality of the burglary," Ackermann said.
A police spokesperson said on Monday morning, "The crime scene group is on site; the perpetrators are on the run."
The Dresden energy provider Drewag confirmed that a power supply box under the nearby Augustus Bridge had been on fire at the time of the burglary. German police have not confirmed yet whether the fire had been set on purpose to interrupt the power supply to the state art collections in the museum.
"Total darkness" prevailed around the building as streetlights were off because of the interruption of power supply, said Volker Lange, head of the Dresden criminal police.
The perpetrators entered the Residence Palace through a window. Despite the shutdown of power supply, a surveillance camera caught some footage, which showed two perpetrators, Bild reported.
According to Lange, two burglars were detected by a security camera inside the building. However, it could not be ruled out that other accomplices were involved.
