Eiffel Tower evacuated after climber scales monument

The Eiffel Tower was evacuated and surrounding streets locked down on Monday after a man was spotted scaling the upper heights of the monument in the heart of the French capital, Paris Police and the tower's operator said. Specialist firefighters were on the scene, the police spokeswoman said.

"The man entered the tower normally and started to climb once he was on the second floor," a spokeswoman for the tower's operator told Reuters. The tower, one of the world's most recognisable landmarks, will be closed until further notice, the company added in a statement on its official Twitter handle.