Approximately 30 paintings, including works of Spanish master Pablo Picasso have been stolen from a private villa in the south of France. Inside the villa, there is also an impressionist work of Henri Rousseau, who is worth around 1 million euros.

According to police, the theft was known on Thursday by a caretaker at the house in a village in the area of La Cadiere d'Azur. The owner was on holiday in Sweden at that time but now has returned to France to assist the investigation.

The case is the largest art theft in southern France second in recent days, although there is no indication the two crimes were related. Previously, a drawing by the French Impressionist, Edgar Degas was also stolen from a museum on Wednesday night in the Mediterranean city of Marseille. Police called the painting of "The Chorus", was worth around 800 thousand euros.