David Gill of Looting Matters points out this tremendous difference, esp. with regards to Saqqara:
12 notesMy former colleague Professor Sarah Parcak commented today on the situation at Saqqara [Facebook: Save + Restore the Egyptian Museum]
Very bad news folks: Saqqara being majorly looted. Reports from ground contacts (verified and trusted+ witnesses) are that numerous people (I was told “thousands”) digging day and night. Maia seems to be fine(?)—-Serapeum broken into and partially set on fire, lots of Ibis mummies taken. Every tomb there was broken into. The army can chase them away during the day, but the night is different. …
This contrasts with the statement made by Zahi Hawass today:The sites of Giza and Saqqara are also safe. Outlaws only broke the padlocks that secure the tombs of Saqqara, and when we went inside to check them we were happy to see that no damage had been done. The most serious offence that occurred was the looting of the storage magazine in Qantara, in the Sinai. On Friday night a group armed with guns entered the magazine and stole some antiquities that were stored in boxes. Yesterday, 288 of these objects were returned. We do not know the full extent of the damage done to this magazine, but we will soon.