Eight people face charges over broken King Tut mask

(CNN)Eight museum employees will be charged with negligence after a botched reattachment of the beard on King Tutankhamun's mask, Egyptian authorities said.

King Tut's burial mask is displayed at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and is considered a valuable artifact from ancient history.

There have been differing accounts of how the mask's blue-and-gold braided beard broke off since its damage came to light in 2014.

At the time, a museum conservator said the beard detached when the mask accidentally fell during cleaning. It was quickly reattached with a strong adhesive, but the glue left a gap between the face and the beard, the conservator said.

Others said the beard loosened with age.

Museum officials dismissed the claims when they emerged, saying reports of the mask's damage were unfounded.