( CNN ) -- A manhunt was under way Saturday in Greece for two suspects who tied up a guard , stormed the Archeological Museum of Olympia , smashed glass casings and stole dozens of small statues , state media reported . The robbers took 65 to 68 clay and brass statues , and a gold ring , police spokesman Athanassios Kokkalakis said Friday , the day of the theft . Closed-circuit video footage showed the suspects as they seized about 65 statuettes , Greece 's official AMNA news agency reported . It 's the second big theft of this kind in Greece this year . Culture Minister Pavlos Geroulanos submitted his resignation after the robbery , the prime minister 's office said Friday . In January , three art works -- including a painting by Pablo Picasso and another by Piet Mondrian -- were stolen from the National Gallery in Athens . Dimitra Koutsoumba , president of the Greek Archaeologists ' Association , said Friday that the latest attack was sad and worrying . `` It is the first time that we have an armed robbery at a museum during operating hours . It shows that the cuts the Culture Ministry has made since the crisis hit in 2009 make it easier for such incidents to take place , '' she said . `` The minister himself had told us that the cuts were ranging between 30 % and 35 % , and they include cuts in personnel . '' She called for more importance to be placed on cultural heritage and said greater steps should be taken to protect irreplaceable items that belong to the nation . `` Such incidents are an issue of national security , '' she said . `` The artifacts that were taken were mainly figurines related to the Olympics , so many were depicting athletes . '' The museum , built on an ancient site in the Peloponnese peninsula , is considered among the most important in Greece . The ceremony for the lighting of the Olympic flame for the 2012 London Olympics is scheduled to take place on May 10 at the Ancient Olympia site , where the museum is located . The first Olympic Games were held in Olympia in 776 B.C . to celebrate the deity Zeus . A sanctuary at the site was dedicated to him . CNN 's Helena DeMoura contributed to this report .
68 suspects are sought in the smash-and-grab robbery . They tied up a guard before storming the museum . They took 68 to Two clay and brass statues , and a gold ring . It 's the first big theft of this kind in Greece the day .