For safety reasons, the structure has been completely demolished.
Surveillance video captures vehicle fleeing scene following monument explosion
01:30 - Source: CNN
CNN  — 

A mysterious Georgia monument was damaged Wednesday when an explosive device was detonated near the attraction, prompting authorities to then demolish it for safety reasons, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said.

Investigators are now searching for whoever set off the explosive at the nearly 20-foot monument known as the Georgia Guidestones, the GBI said.

The blast happened around 4 a.m. in Elberton, about 100 miles east of Atlanta, according to the GBI. No one was injured, officials said.

A large section of the granite slab at the site sometimes referred to as “America’s Stonehenge” broke apart and collapsed, according to a video released by authorities.

A car left the site shortly after the explosion, a second video shows.

The monument then was demolished for safety reasons, the GBI said.

The aftermath of the explosion in Elberton, Georgia

The four vertical slabs that dominate the Guidestones were inscribed back and front with 10 principles, each side in a different modern language. The capstone is inscribed in the alphabets of early human civilizations – Egyptian hieroglyphics, Babylonian cuneiform, Sanskrit and classical Greek.

Mystery has surrounded who paid for and authored the monument since its erection in 1980.