France's Notre-Dame cathedral is finally ready to undergo restoration work more than two years after a blaze ravaged the heritage landmark, and remains on course to reopen in 2024, authorities said

Iran PressEurope: The great medieval edifice survived the inferno on April 15, 2019, but the spire collapsed and much of the roof was destroyed.

The focus until now had been on making the cathedral safe before restoration work could begin, which included the strenuous task of removing 40,000 pieces of scaffolding that were damaged in the blaze.

"The cathedral stands solid on its pillars, its walls are solid, everything is holding together," said Jean-Louis Georgelin, head of the public entity tasked with rebuilding the cathedral.

Work to restore the organ will begin in the fall, with other works expected to begin in the winter.

The agency is maintaining French President Emmanuel Macron's goal of allowing visitors back inside in 2024, the year when Paris hosts the Olympics. 219