Notre Dame bells ring out in Paris for first time since 2019 fire

Paris: The bells of Notre Dame in Paris rang out together on Friday for the first time since a 2019 fire that devastated the historic cathedral, AFP r...

Paris: The bells of Notre Dame in Paris rang out together on Friday for the first time since a 2019 fire that devastated the historic cathedral, AFP reporters said.

The sound of the eight bells in Notre Dame's northern belfry came a month before the cathedral is to reopen following five years of painstaking restoration work in the wake of the blaze.

"This is a beautiful, important and symbolic step," said Philippe Jost, who runs the public body tasked with restoring the cathedral under challenging circumstances.

On the evening of April 19, 2019 Parisians and the world watched in horror as flames ravaged the world heritage landmark and then toppled its spire.

President Emmanuel Macron quickly set the ambitious goal to rebuild Notre Dame within five years and make it "even more beautiful" than before.