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CAMBRIDGE, England, Jan 30, 2006 (UPI via COMTEX) -- A visitor at a Cambridge, England, museum tripped on his shoelace and smashed a set of priceless vases dating back to China's Qing Dynasty.
The three 300-year-old vases met their doom Wednesday at the Fitzwilliam Museum, the BBC reported Monday.
The patron, whose name was not released, tripped on his shoelace and fell down the stairs. He grabbed onto a bookcase while trying to right himself and sent the vases crashing to the floor.
The vases, donated to the museum in 1948, are "in very, very small pieces, but we are determined to put them back together," a spokeswoman said.
Museum Director Duncan Robinson found a silver lining in the mishap, telling the BBC: "It was a most unfortunate and regrettable accident but we are glad that the visitor involved was able to leave the museum unharmed."
URL: www.upi.com Copyright 2006 by United Press International
