Parachutist dies at Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower has attracted parachutists before

A Norwegian man has died in an unauthorised parachute jump off the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

Police say the man, 31, died instantly when he smashed into the first level of the landmark after his parachute got snared and detached from him.

He had leapt from the second level, 115 metres (380 feet) high.

Police are investigating reports that the victim was one of three men who planned to film the jump to promote a Norwegian clothing brand.

Police quoted by the Associated Press said the man entered the tower on Monday evening with a hidden parachute and a helmet that had a small video camera attached to it.

The Eiffel Tower, 324m high, has more than six million visitors a year. It is one of the world's most popular tourist attractions.

There have been hundreds of deaths - mostly suicides - at the landmark since it opened in 1889.