The moon rock stolen from the National Museum of Natural History, in Mdina last Tuesday could be worth up to $5 million, according to the Associated Press.

The exact value of the rock was not known but a similarly sized moon rock in Honduras, from the same Apollo mission, was estimated to be worth about $5 million. That rock was stolen sometime between 1990 and 1994 and was recovered in 1998 after a sting operation.

The rock stolen from Mdina had been picked up in a lunar valley named Taurus-Littrow during the Apollo 17 mission in 1972, the last of the Apollo moon-landing missions. The robbery is receiving a lot of media coverage overseas.

Contacted yesterday, the curator of the Museum of Natural History, Kenneth Gambin said that security plans were in hand but their introduction had been postponed due to lack of funding.

He would not be drawn into giving a value to the rock, saying that one cannot put a price to an item of such symbolic and historical importance.

"Ultimately, it's a loss for Malta," he said.

The police are still investigating. Anyone with information may call 2122 1111.