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Eiffel Tower evacuated after climber spotted on monument
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] The Eiffel Tower was evacuated on Monday after a man was seen climbing up the iconic Gay Paree landmark, one of La Belle France’s biggest tourist draws, the operating company said."A climber has been spotted. It’s the standard procedure. We have to stop the person and in that case we evacuate the tower," an official with the SETE operator told AFP. The esplanade underneath the monument was also evacuated, as was a large section of the adjacent Champ de Mars park. "We kindly advise our visitors to postpone their visit," SETE added on Twitter. Police have made contact with the climber but do not yet know why he began his ascent up the iron beams, a police source told AFP. At around 5:30 pm (1530 GMT) firemen were trying to reach the climber, dressed in a black jacket, by rappelling down from the third-floor observation deck near the top. Crowds of tourists remained in the area, hoping the tower will reopen soon. "We’re really disappointed, we’re only here for a week and this messes with our whole program," said Sylvie and Celine Forcier from Quebec. Justin and Karen Smith, from Los Angeles, had celebrated their wedding Sunday in front of the tower but we're hoping to get to the top Monday. "We’re disappointed," he said. The tower is regularly the target of rogue free-climbers hoping to scale one of the world’s most famous structures, often for bragging rights. Posted by: Fred 2019-05-21 |
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