Firefighters rush to World Trade Center window cleaners after cable snaps 69 floors up

Officials had to cut through panes of glass next to the dangling platform to reach the stranded workers nearly 70 storeys up.

15:29 13 November 2014

Firefighters in New York City have rescued two window cleaners who were stranded nearly 70 storeys up after one of the cables holding their rig dramatically snapped.

 

The nerve-wrecking drama took place on Wednesday afternoon on the south side of America’s tallest skyscraper.

 

Officials cut through panes of glass next to the dangling platform and were able to reach the two workers who were immediately taken to the hospital suffering from mild hypothermia. 

 

Local media released the names of the endangered workers as Juan Lizama and Juan Lopez. 

 

Meanwhile, officials said that the pair were not in imminent risk of falling because they had been tethered by harnesses to the roof.