Frozen 500-year-old mummy starting to thaw

Moisture may destroy Peru's famous "Ice Maiden" - one of the world's longest preserved mummies, say local reports.

The 500-year-old body of an Inca girl is enclosed in glass at the Santuarios de Altura museum in Arequipa, Peru.

An expert from the Smithsonian Institution who was visiting Arequipa on vacation first discovered dampness inside the glass case.

The expert then notified Peruvian authorities, saying that the mummy could be damaged beyond repair within five years if the problem wasn't fixed.

The Ice Maiden was discovered in 1995 by a U.S. archaeologist. She was unearthed from a burial pit near the top of Mount Ampato near Arequipa.

The Inca mummy was named one of the best preserved in the world until 1999 when three other mummies were found atop a mountain in Argentina.

A group of specialists from Peru's National Institute of Culture will be inspecting the Ice Maiden this week to see how much damage has already occurred.

Photography: CBS News

Source: Discovery Channel Reports, August 31 edition