Area around Eiffel Tower area, subway station near Notre Dame evacuated after bomb threats

Reports: Subway station near Notre Dame evacuated

PARIS — French media report that a second tourist hub — the Saint-Michel subway station near Notre Dame Cathedral — has been evacuated following a similar bomb threat at the Eiffel Tower.

A Paris police spokesman said he had no information about the reports on the Saint-Michel station, which was the target of a terrorist attack in 1995 that killed eight and injured scores of people.

Across town, about 2,000 people were cleared from the 324-meter (1,063-foot) Eiffel Tower on the banks of the Seine River, and police were checking it for suspicious objects, the spokesman at the police headquarters said. He declined to give his name, citing department policy.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

PARIS (AP) — Paris’ Eiffel Tower and its immediate surroundings underneath were evacuated Tuesday evening after an anonymous caller phoned in a bomb threat, the French capital’s police headquarters said.

About 2,000 people were cleared from the 324-meter (1,063-foot) monument on the banks of the Seine River, and police were checking it for suspicious objects, a spokesman at the police headquarters said. He declined to give his name, citing department policy.

Eiffel Tower security services made the decision to clear out tourists and workers following the threat, the spokesman said.

Despite the scare, tourists and curious Parisians continued to mill around the surrounding sidewalks, and traffic continued to circulate nearby. Several police trucks were posted under the tower, and officers stood guard.

The tower is France’s most popular monument, and last year, 6.6 million people visited it.