PARIS: The Eiffel Tower and other Paris landmarks announced early closures over the weekend as a quarter of mainland France was under the highest heat alert level on Saturday in the third heatwave to hit the country since May. The operator of the Eiffel Tower said the latticed-steel monument would "exceptionally close" early on Saturday and Sunday at 4 pm, "due to the high temperatures forecast".
Two of the French capital's most famous museums, the Louvre and the Musee d'Orsay, have taken similar measures. The Louvre, the most visited museum in the world, said on Thursday it would close at 4 pm from Friday through to Monday. The Musee D'Orsay announced it would also close early, "due to the extreme heat" at 5 pm from Saturday to Wednesday.
Twenty-four departments, home to 22.2 million people, were under the maximum alert level issued by the national weather service Meteo-France on Saturday. Another 59 departments of 96 in mainland France were under an orange heat warning, a step below the highest, as people flooded trains and highways at the start of a holiday weekend ahead of France's national public holiday on July 14. — AFP
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