French Ambassador to India Alexandre Ziegler on Tuesday thanked Indians for the outpouring of messages after a fire broke out at the historic Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. A massive fire engulfed the Notre Dame on Monday while renovation work was under way at the church.

Ziegler said he was “deeply moved” by the response. “It is also in such times that one can gauge the value of friendship. Thank you India!” Ziegler tweeted.

The cathedral’s spire collapsed under the fire, which raged for hours. The blaze also spread to one of its landmark rectangular towers, but Paris Fire Brigade Commander General Jean-Claude Gallet said the church’s main structure had been saved after firefighters managed to stop the fire from spreading to the northern belfry. The roof of the 850-year-old cathedral was destroyed in the fire.

Ziegler was responding to expressions of grief and dismay by Indians on Twitter and other social media platforms.

Some users on social media, however, criticised Indians expressing their sadness over the fire and accused them of neglecting their own culture and heritage.

Meanwhile, a fire broke out at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem on Monday around the same time as the blaze that ravaged the Notre Dame Cathedral, Newsweek reported.

Here are some of the tweets from Indians: