Brazil's Christ statue returns after renovation

Brazil's famous Christ the Redeemer statue has been re-opened after a $4 million (£2.7m) renovation.

The Rio de Janeiro monument has undergone a four-month restoration, covered with scaffolding as workers fixed cracks and damage due to water.

As it was unveiled, it was lit up in green and yellow to honour the Brazilian football team playing in the World Cup.

The 125 ft (38m) tall statue is visited by nearly two million tourists a year.

It has looked over Rio de Janeiro for almost 80 years.

"It is a beautiful and important moment, not only for Rio de Janeiro but for Brazil," said Archbishop Orani Joao Tempesta, who held a mass during the re-inauguration.

One hundred people were involved in the restoration work, which was funded through public and private donations.

"The hardest part was finding the right colour stone," architect Marcia Braga, head of the project, said.

The work involved the use of more than 60,000 pieces of stone from the same quarry used at the time of construction of the statue.