2 American tourists found sleeping in the Eiffel Tower

PARIS — The Eiffel Tower’s opening Monday was delayed after security found two American tourists sleeping overnight in the monument, according to The New York Times.

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The prosecutor’s office in Paris learned that the two Americans had entered the Eiffel Tower with tickets Sunday evening, a spokeswoman for the prosecutor’s office said, according to the Times. Alcohol was believed to be involved, and the spokeswoman was unsure where the men were found inside the Eiffel Tower.

The men were “allegedly trapped there due to their excessive alcohol consumption,” the Paris prosecutor’s office told CNN.

The tourists were removed from the Eiffel Tower and Paris police took over, the Société d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel, or SETE, said in a statement obtained by CNN. SETE is expected to press charges for intrusion. The Paris prosecutor’s office said that “the fine for trespassing on a historic or cultural site was dismissed,” because no damage was found.

The Eiffel Tower is one of the most recognizable landmarks in the world, according to the Times. It was built between 1887 and 1889 “to celebrate the centennial of the French Revolution.” It is about 1,083 feet tall and gets around seven million visitors each year.