Eiffel Tower evacuated as man tries to scale it

The Eiffel Tower in Paris had to be evacuated on Monday after a man tried to scale it.

Police and other emergency workers including firefighters in the French capital were immediately scrambled to the 900 feet structure, which has just celebrated its 130th anniversary.

IMAGE: The man dressed in black was noticed on the Eiffel Tower on Monday. Firefighters rushed to the spot and tried to get the man down from Paris' tallest structure. Photograph: Charles Platiau/Reuters

The man could be seen dangling just below the third and highest level of the structure.

It was not immediately clear how the trespasser managed to get past the tower’s stringent security system.

IMAGE: The man's motivations to climb the structure were unclear. Photograph: Charles Platiau/Reuters

A Paris police spokeswoman said a team of firefighters, including a climbing specialist, were at the scene and in touch with the intruder, whose motivations remained unclear.

Officials did not immediately provide further information about the incident.

IMAGE: Shocked tourists and locals watched on as the dramatic scenes unfolded in front of them on Monday afternoon. Photograph: Charles Platiau/Reuters

It is not the first time someone has attempted to climb the Eiffel Tower. In 2015 a British freerunner, James Kingston, climbed it without safety ropes and without permission, dodging security cameras as he went.

The tower is the tallest structure in Paris, at 324 metres (1,063ft), roughly the same height as an 81-storey building.

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