France on high alert after bomb threat forces Eiffel Tower evacuation

Three floors of the Eiffel Tower in central Paris were evacuated on Saturday after French police alerted visitors of a potential bomb threat while bomb disposal experts searched through the floors.

The Eiffel Tower, France's most emblematic symbol, which drew 6.2 million visitors last year, including a restaurant on one of the floors, was scoured by the bomb disposal experts, according to the SETE, the body which runs the site.

"It's a usual procedure in this kind of situation which however is rare," a spokeswoman said.

Visitors were evacuated from both the three floors and the square under the monument shortly after 1:30pm (1130 GMT), AFP reported.

Construction work on the tower began in January 1887 and was finished on March 31, 1889. It received two million visitors during the World's Fair of 1889.

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