(RNN) First responders have rescued both men from the window cleaning crew who were trapped and hanging precariously from 1 World Trade Center in New York. The two window washers are not injured, and suffered only mild hypothermia.

Firefighters cut a hole into a window at the bottom of where the scaffolding was hanging, which is still hanging from one cable around the 68th floor on the south facing side of the building.

"Firefighters went to the roof and the 68th floor. From the roof, they dropped rope down to secure - additionally secure the members that were the workers on the scaffold. They dropped a radio down, so they could communicate and they began cutting the glass," said Daniel Nigro, FNDY commissioner.

The FDNY had difficulty cutting the window because of the thickness of the glass; the windows had three layers of glass.

The workers were clipped into the basket, so they did not fall when the cable snapped.

The two window washers had trouble at about 12:45 p.m. ET. Initially, rescuers thought a cable had broken, but it had not. It's unclear why slack developed in cables on one side of the basket.

The Fire Department of New York tweeted "Man all hands 1 World Trade Center, high rise (World Trade Center) scaffolding emergency." Not only are officials concerned about the safety of the workers, but the building's security.

The area around the building was closed off during the rescue, and the September 11 memorial was closed.

Rescuers began to send another scaffolding from the top of the building down to the workers, with the concern that the cables don't tangle with the stranded rig. However, now that the two men are safely inside, that scaffolding has been removed.

The two men were on the perilously hanging basket for about an hour and a half.

Read the rest here:
2 window washers stranded, hanging perilously at 1 World Trade Center

Related Posts
November 13, 2014 at 6:21 am by Mr HomeBuilder
Category: Window Cleaning