According to a report by Reuters citing French police sources, the Eiffel Tower in the capital city of Paris was evacuated and closed to the public on Saturday (August 12) as a precautionary measure following a bomb threat.
It added, that SETE, the body that runs the site, said bomb disposal experts as well as police were scouring the area, including a restaurant located on one of the floors.
“It’s a usual procedure in this kind of situation which however is rare,” a spokeswoman told the Paris-based news agency.
However, after two hours or so visitors were allowed back inside. “It was a false alarm, people can go back inside,” the police source told Reuters.
According to a report by Le Parisien, a French daily newspaper, a large security perimeter had been established, traffic diverted and the monument was also evacuated.
The last bomb threat called in at the Eiffel Tower was in September 2020 and was an anonymous call made to the police that prompted an evacuation of the tower, which also lasted about two hours.
Notably, France’s most emblematic symbol, the Eiffel Tower drew 6.2 million visitors last year. The monument has a police station at the foot of the south pillar and every visitor has to undergo security checks before entry.
Construction work on the tower began in January 1887 and was finished on March 31, 1889.
(With inputs from agencies)
