Paris police chief Laurent Nunez told broadcaster TF1 that “safety architects” had been sent to the scene.
An AFP journalist saw workers loading the slightly twisted blades of the windmill into the bed of a truck for removal.
The letters M, O and U had also been toppled from the name spelled out on the building’s facade.
“I can’t believe it,” said Exauce, a cook at the cabaret who asked not to give his second name.
He saw the blades on the ground as he arrived for work around 8am (2pm, Singapore time).
“It’s as if the top had been chopped off the Eiffel Tower, it hurts me,” said Daniel, a 58-year-old who said he passes the Moulin Rouge every day on his way to work.
“I hope they repair it soon,” he added.
600,000 VISITORS ANNUALLY
The Moulin Rouge cabaret, with its distinctive red windmill blades, is located in northern Paris and is one of the most visited landmarks in the city.
Around 600,000 people each year watch its two daily shows held year-round, keeping 450 staff in work.
Known as the birthplace of the modern dance form the can-can, it opened its doors in October 1889 at the foot of the Montmartre hill.
It quickly became a hit and a stop to look at its facade or catch a show inside is a must-do on most tourists’ lists of things to do in the French capital.
The only serious accident the landmark has endured was a fire that erupted during works in 1915, which forced the venue to close for nine years.
