Egypt calls for halt of sale of potentially looted Tutankhamun bust

Cairo: Egyptian authorities have called for the sale of a sculpture of Pharaoh Tutankhamun to be halted, the North African country's foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The sale is scheduled to happen at Christie's auction house in London on July 4.

The request was made to authorities in the UK and UNESCO.

Egypt's call for the auction to be cancelled came following concerns that the bust might have been stolen from the Karnak Temple in Upper Egypt's Luxor.

The statement added that the Egyptian embassy asked British authorities to stop the sale of all other Egyptian artefacts intended to be sold on July 3-4 at the auction house in London.

According to a listing on Christie's website, the bust is over 3,000 years-old

"The Egyptian Embassy in London also contacted the British Foreign Office and the auction house to halt the sale and reserve the bust, demanding its return to Egypt," said the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

The bust was expected to be sold at £4 million (over $5 million), according to Christie's.