ST. CATHERINE'S STATUE DAMAGED IN OSIJEK

( Editorial: --> 8596 ) OSIJEK, Sept 7 (Hina) - A statue of St. Catherine in the eastern Croatian town of Osijek was knocked down on Monday. The statue was placed at the feet of a monument erected in 1730 in memory of the victims of a plague epidemic. The monument was also damaged. An Osijek policeman noticed around 00.40 hours that considerable damage had been done to the plague monument. An on the spot investigation showed the St. Catherine statue, one of four statues of saints at the feet of the monument, had been knocked down to the ground. As a result of the fall, the statue broke into several pieces, Osijek-Baranja County police reported on Monday. A group of young people was seen near the monument shortly before the incident. According to the police, the culprits have not been found among a dozen apprehended. The investigation is still in course. The damage done to the sculpture is inestimable, a representative of the State Administration for the Protection of Monuments, Zvonko Bojcic, told Hina. A replica would cost between US$8,000 and US$11,000, he said. (hina) ha jn 071210 MET sep 98