The Eiffel Tower has been evacuated after a man tried to scale it.

The man could be seen dangling just below the third and highest level of the structure. A rescuer dressed in red could be seen above him.

A rescue worker hangs from just below the third and highest level of the Eiffel Tower. Photograph: Michel Euler/AP

It was not immediately clear how the trespasser managed to get past the tower’s stringent security system.

A Paris police spokeswoman said a team of firefighters, including a climbing specialist, were at the scene and in touch with the intruder, whose motivations remained unclear.

Officials did not immediately provide further information about the incident.

Police prevent tourists from entering the area surrounding the attraction. Photograph: Michel Euler/AP

It is not the first time someone has attempted to climb the Eiffel Tower. In 2015 a British freerunner, James Kingston, climbed it without safety ropes and without permission, dodging security cameras as he went.

The tower is the tallest structure in Paris, at 324 metres (1,063ft), roughly the same height as an 81-storey building.