Police said yesterday they were trying to find vandals who ruined some sand sculptures on a freshwater beach in Nantou County, central Taiwan — the site of the county's first Sand Sculpture Art Festival.

Twenty artists have been creating the works since mid-December last year for the festival, which will open Jan. 17, and most of the sculptures were about 80 percent complete.

However, Wang Sung-guan and Hsu Ching-fu — two of the artists — arrived at the site of the festival beside the Maoluo River Sunday to find their works ruined.

The damaged works include two Buddha statues, an “island of gods,” dinosaur fossils, turtles, frogs and an ox — meant to usher in the Year of the Ox, beginning Jan. 26 in accordance with the lunar calendar.

Nearby residents told police they had heard people celebrating the arrival of the New Year on the beach and setting off fireworks.

“The works were probably ruined by these revelers who left behind a lot of wine bottles on the beach,” one of the residents said.

The artists have begun to repair the damage, hoping to complete all works in time for the opening of the festival on Jan. 17.

The Nantou City Office is hosting the festival in conjunction with a flower carnival held by the Nantou county government in an attempt to attract more visitors and boost local tourism.