Priceless art stolen from Paris museum

Art thieves have stolen paintings by Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Amedeo Modigliani and two other well-known artists from a Paris museum in a heist worth 100 million euros.

Officials from the Musee d'Art Moderne de la ville de Paris said they discovered the five paintings, which included works by Fernand Leger and Georges Braque, were missing after noticing a smashed window pane as they opened for business on Thursday.

"This is a serious crime to the heritage of humanity," Christophe Girard, culture deputy for the mayor of Paris told a news conference.

Girard said the theft was committed by "one or more individuals who were obviously organised."

Museum officials said the paintings were worth about 100 million euros in total, revising an earlier figure of 500 million euros released by the police and public prosecutors.

The theft is the latest to hit Paris after robbers stole 32 drawings at the Picasso Museum worth 8 million euros last June.