World Trade Centre window cleaners ready to resume work

Initially the task of cleaning the windows had progressed smoothly with the two men, who were also tethered by their safety harness, descending to the 43rd floor and starting work.

Methodically working their way up, the cleaners reached the 69th floor when things began to go wrong.

The right hand side of the platform continued rising, but the left did not, leaving the scaffold dangling somewhat uneasily with the two men trapped inside.

Window cleaners Juan Lizama, left, and Juan Lopez (Reuters)

There was a brief moment of panic, Mr Lopez added.

The emergency stop button did not work and, for a few seconds, he did not know what would happen.

I just grabbed on, held on, and hoped we were not going to fall over, he added.

Not only were they strapped into the cradle which by then was almost vertical but everything else was secured to prevent it hurtling to the ground and endangering those below.

We saw the firefighters and we knew we were going to be O.K., Mr. Lizama said.

The firefighters rushed to the top of the building and dropped a rope down, while colleagues swiftly made their way to the 68th floor.

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World Trade Centre window cleaners ready to resume work