France ordered a security review at the Louvre and checks at other cultural sites while a hunt was underway for thieves who lifted priceless crown jewels in an audacious daylight heist at the world's most popular museum.

Several criminals are believed to have stolen jewelry before fleeing the scene, according to a source cited by Agence France-Presse. No injuries have been reported.

Thieves entered the Louvre using a basket lift on Sunday and made away with priceless jewels, France's interior minister said, as the museum closed for the day.