A 3000-year-old gold bracelet was stolen from an Egyptian museum and irreversibly destroyed, authorities say.

The priceless artefact, which once belonged to King Amenemope, was discovered missing from a laboratory's safe. It had been lost since September 9.

Now, according to Reuters, the country's Interior Ministry has confirmed the bracelet was melted down and sold.

The bracelet, adorned with blue lapis lazuli beads, was a significant piece from Egypt's Third Intermediate Period.

Its disappearance prompted the formation of a special committee to scrutinise the lab's inventory.

Officials also took action to prevent the bracelet from leaving the country, distributing its image to border control points.

However, the artifact had already been tracked down to a museum restoration specia

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