It took just eight minutes. Thieves broke into the Louvre in broad daylight on Sunday and made off with jewelry said to be of “incalculable” worth, all while visitors and staff members were going about their business in one of the world’s most famous museums.

The masked gang, who remain at large, made off with nine items, including a crown, a tiara, necklaces and earrings.

In a minutes-long strike Sunday inside the world’s most-visited museum, thieves rode a basket lift up the Louvre ’s facade, forced a window, smashed display cases and fled with priceless Napoleonic jewels,