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The elevator
doors failed to open near the top of the 555-foot-high
(169-meter-high) monument, a major tourist draw in the U.S.
capital, said Mike Litterst, a spokesman for the National Park
Service. Sixty-two people were able to ride down before the site
was shutdown of the site, which draws about 600,000 visitors a
year.
An electrical circuit breaker had repeatedly tripped, Litterst
said. Technicians would look at whether high demand for
electricity during a heat wave had affected the equipment, he
added.
The elevator had restarted after shutting down near the top late
on Saturday, forcing 73 visitors to exit using the stairs,
Litterst said.
Officials hope to reopen the site about a half-mile (1 km) south
of the White House on Monday, he said.
The elevator has been shut down 24 times since the Washington
Monument reopened in May 2014 following repairs for earthquake
damage in 2011. The problems include the elevator's computer
system, he said.
(Reporting by Ian Simpson; Editing by Richard Chang)
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