An unidentified man climbs the Eiffel Tower in Paris, next to a rescuer dressed in red. Photograph: Charles Platiau/Reuters

Eiffel Tower closed after man tries to climb it

A man in his 40s, who has not yet been identified, has been arrested after climbing up the Eiffel tower which has just celebrated its 130th anniversary.

Police, firefighters and other emergency workers were immediately scrambled to the 900 feet structure. It was not clear how the man managed to get past the tower’s stringent security system. The man started to climb once he was on the second floor. The first two floors can be reached by lift or stairs and if visitors want to go higher they have to take a lift.

About 2,500 people were evacuated from the area. By 9:30 p.m. Street surrounding the landmark of the ‘City of Love’ was also cleared and closed for public. The authorities said that they were able to capture the man who had been lodged for hours at the 1,063-foot structure and clung to the Parisian landmark for more than six hours.

According to La Société d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel, which runs the landmark’s official website, the Eiffel Tower will reopen on Tuesday at 9:30 a.m at local time. Moreover, the man who scaled the tower and forced the national monument to close for several hours has been taken to custody.