Smoke from the engine of an elevator
Evacuated Statue of Liberty

NEW YORK – The Statue of Liberty, one of the iconic monuments of the port of New York, has been evacuated due to smoke. The news, reported in a message on Twitter, was immediately picked up by numerous American TV stations and was confirmed by the New York fire department. The monument was evacuated after around 13.15, a thick smoke developed due to the overheating of one of the engines of an elevator.

The crown of the Statue of Liberty had been reopened to the public last year after being declared inaccessible for security reasons immediately after the September 11 massacres when the symbol of freedom and democracy at the entrance to the port of New York had seemed an ideal target for terrorists. The museum and a floor with panoramic windows in the base of the statue had been reopened in 2004. Lady Liberty, as she is nicknamed in New York, was a gift from France to the United States in 1886 and is visited by millions of tourists every year.

(21 July 2010)