French President Emmanuel Macron pledges to rebuild Notre Dame

It was absolutely devastating to see.

The world looked on in horror last night as Notre Dame in Paris continued to burn. The iconic cathedral in the French capital caught alight yesterday afternoon. Its spire collapsed after 7pm when flames burst through the roof.

Last moments of the #NotreDame spire https://t.co/sdlvBYcJ2o pic.twitter.com/RGtMbGLNtF

— Jim Pickard (@PickardJE) April 15, 2019

However, French president, Emmanuel Macron has promised to rebuild it, because it's what its history "deserves." According to BBC, the president said that the "worst had been avoided" and he will soon launch a fundraising scheme for its reconstruction. "We'll rebuild this cathedral all together and it's undoubtedly part of the French destiny and the project we'll have for the coming years," said Mr Macron. "That's what the French expect, because it's what our history deserves." According to reports, French billionaire Bernard Arnault’s family and his LVMH luxury goods group will donate €200 million to help repair Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral. A statement says: “The Arnault family and the LVMH group would like to show their solidarity at a this time of national tragedy, and are joining up to help rebuild this extraordinary cathedral, which is a symbol of France, of its heritage and of French unity.”

Bernard Arnault's family and his luxury goods group LVMH say they will donate €200m (£172.7m) to help repair Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral according to a statement issued on behalf of the billionaire businessman

— Sky News Breaking (@SkyNewsBreak) April 16, 2019

Dropping water from helicopters to extinguish the blaze has been ruled out as the weight of the water would cause the entire building to collapse, according to France's civil defence and crisis management agency. Crowds gathered as the blaze ravaged the 850-year-old structure, with reports saying that the thousands of onlookers begun to sing hymns.