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The Eiffel Tower in Paris, France had to be shut down on Monday. The closure came after a man was caught attempting to climb the popular tourist attraction.
A rescue crew was promptly dispatched, and officials soon began negotiating with the climber. A team of firefighters, as well as a climbing specialist, were on hand to assist in diffusing the situation.
A spokesperson for the Eiffel Tower told CNN, “The Eiffel Tower has been closed and is in the process of being evacuated because a person is scaling it.”
The tower’s official Twitter also account posted a statement regarding the closure.
“The #tourEiffel is currently closed until further notice,” it said. “To avoid too long a wait, we advise our visitors to postpone their visit.”
Independently recorded video footage and photos of the incident quickly made their way to social media as well.
While the man’s motives for scaling the landmark are currently unknown, it seems he paid to enter the attraction. After reaching the second level, about 490 feet up, is when he began his attempt to climb the edifice.
The tallest structure in Paris, the Eiffel Tower reaches a total of 1,063 feet into the air. It is approximately the same height as an 81-story building.
The tower was put into lockdown around 2:15 p.m. local time. Several people reported being stuck on the top floor due to the incident.
As one might expect, this is not the first individual to attempt such a stunt. A British “free runner” named James Kingston also tried to scale the tower back in 2015. Kingston did not obtain permission, nor did he utilize proper safety equipment. He also made a concerted attempt to avoid security cameras as he climbed.
