Paris bridge at risk of collapse thanks to huge Olympics tourist influx

dailyrecord.co.uk:

One of Paris's most iconic bridges has been forced to close due to safety concerns after its elevated walkway began to wobble during the Olympic marathon event.As spectators watched the marathon, The Times reported that heavy bolts were seen falling from the supports of the Pont de Bir-Hakeim,, alarming engineers and prompting the closure of the landmark for urgent repairs.A city official told Le Figaro that Paris "came close to a disaster" due to the instability of the structure.Jeremy Redler, the Conservative mayor of Paris' 16th arrondissement, expressed his concerns to Le Parisien newspaper, stating they "knew there would be too many tourists with Olympic events passing underneath", adding: "Luckily nothing tragic happened." The shutdown of the Pont de Bir-Hakeim, which has appeared in numerous films including the eighth instalment of Mission: Impossible, follows the successful hosting of the Olympics by Paris, reports the Express.

Before the games, there were worries about the influx of thousands of tourists and their safety. Despite these fears, the Olympics went off without a hitch.

However, France's overall safety for travellers was called into question as it ranked 80th in a global survey of the safest countries for tourists.A HelloSafe survey has placed France alarmingly low in the rankings for safety, sitting at 80th globally and only 34th in Europe for travellers.

This scoring, determined by assessing health systems, instances of armed conflict, and societal violence through 35 different indicators, highlights significant threats.Remarkably, the report from HelloSafe pinpointed France's precarious position: "Of particular note is the poor ranking of France, only 80th in the world and 34th in Europe, with a