Paris Olympics: Eiffel Tower evacuated after man seen climbing landmark hours before Olympics closing ceremony
French police have evacuated the area around the Eiffel Tower after a man was seen climbing the landmark just hours before the closing ceremony for the Olympics.
The shirtless man was spotted climbing the 330m tall tower this afternoon. It is not clear when he began to scale the building, but he was spotted just above the Olympic rings which are located on the second section of the tower, just above the first viewing deck.
Visitors were escorted away from the Eiffel Tower area around 3pm by police. Some who had been locked on the second floor were allowed to exit around 30 minutes after.
In a statement, a Paris police official said: “An individual started climbing the Eiffel Tower at 2.45pm, police intervened and the person was detained”.
Posts about the incident on social media, show pictures of a shirtless, blonde haired man climbing the tower.
It occurred as the final day of the Olympics takes place in Paris and security services shift their focus to the closing ceremony which is due to take place tonight.
The Eiffel Tower played a key role in the Paris Olympics opening ceremony, with Celine Dion performing to a packed crowd. It is not expected to be part of the Olympics closing ceremony which is due to begin at the Stade de France in the northern suburb of Saint-Denis at 9pm.
France’s interior minister Gerald Darmanin said about 3,000 police officers will be mobilised around the Stade de France, and 20,000 police troops and other security personnel in Paris and the Saint-Denis area will be mobilised late into Sunday night to ensure safety on the last day of the Olympics.