Eiffel Tower evacuated after bomb threat

Paris: The Eiffel Tower in Paris, one of the most visited tourist sites in the world, was closed to the public on Saturday after being evacuated following a bomb threat.

Three floors of the Eiffel Tower and the square under the monument, including the restaurant of the tower, as well as the forecourt, were quickly evacuated after 1:30 pm (1130 GMT) as a precautionary measure, shortly after the security alert.

Eiffel Tower is France's most emblematic symbol which drew 6.2 million visitors last year.

SETE, the body which 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 said.

A similar bomb threat that prompted an evacuation of the tower, also for two hours, was in September 2020, based on an anonymous call to police, reported Le Parisien.

Construction work on the tower began in January 1887 and was finished on March 31, 1889. It received two million visitors during the World's Fair of 1889.

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