Eiffel Tower closed for hours after intruder spotted

Before it opened on Sunday morning, “an individual was seen in the structure with a backpack”, a source close to the matter said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “To remove all doubt, a helicopter was sent to carry out an inspection of the structure.”

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Firefighters were also dispatched to the site, but “found nothing”, according to a fire department spokesman. A policeman at the scene said the intruder may have been an adventurer seeking to parachute off the tower, which is 324 metres (354 yards) tall, a sight not uncommon in the French capital. In 2005, however, a Norwegian man died while attempting a similar feat.

The “Iron Lady” attracts around seven million visitors a year, of which nearly nine in 10 are foreign tourists.