Paris' Eiffel Tower evacuated after climber scales it

Paris landmark the Eiffel Tower was shut down on Monday afternoon after someone tried to climb up one of its faces, according to the police.

."A climber has been detected. This is the usual procedure,” said the police source, adding that the person has to be prevented from scaling the tower and it has to be evacuated. No indication of the number of tourists evacuated was given.

With firefighters and police in place, the entrance was also evacuated.

The police source said they were able to get in touch with the climber, but they were unaware of the reasons behind his actions.

The last time the Eiffel Tower was completely evacuated was in October 2017 after a young man standing on one of the pillars was trying to commit suicide. Police were able to convince him not to jump.

The iconic tower celebrated its 130th anniversary this year, and remains the most visited monument worldwide with paid admission some seven million visitors a year.