Paris Firefighters Talk Down Eiffel Tower Climber

May 21, 2019

A man scaled nearly half of the monument Monday, hanging more than 880 feet off the ground before crews were able to talk him to safety.

Source dpa, Hamburg, Germany

A man climbed up half the height of the Eiffel Tower before Paris firefighters were able to talk him to safety Monday.

PARIS—A man climbed up almost half the height of the Eiffel Tower in Paris on Monday, and perched more than 270 metres off ground level for hours before allowing firefighters to take him to safety.

Some 2,500 visitors to the monument were evacuated after the man was spotted climbing up from its 115-metre-high second storey, in the early afternoon.

He made it to just below the overhanging third storey, 276 metres off the ground. Rescue workers who had rushed to the scene climbed down from there to try and bring him to safety.

The tower's management company said in a statement that firefighters "succeeded in reasoning with the individual" at about 9:30 pm (1930 GMT) and authorities took charge of him.

No details were given about the man or his motivation.

The tower will open again at 9:30 am on Tuesday, the company said. Visitors who had booked tickets for Monday afternoon will be reimbursed automatically.

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