Three workers who were washing windows on the One World Trade Center have been left trapped on scaffolding.
A huge rescue operation is now underway with pictures from the scene showing the scaffolding dangling from a dangerous height.
The workers are trapped outside the building on the 68th floor. The incident happened at about 12:45 p.m and rescue workers are now on the scene attempting to reach the men.
CBS New York reports that the men had completed washing the windows and were moving to the top of the tower when a cable became loose.
The platform which the men were on is now dangling at a precarious angle. Picture shows platform dangling from 68th floor
This picture gives you an idea of how terrifying the situation must be for those trapped on the scaffolding.
Picture shows platform dangling from 68th floor
This picture gives you an idea of how terrifying the situation must be for those trapped on the scaffolding.
The platform is dangling at an extreme angle from outside the 68th floor.
Manhattan *High Angle Rescue* Box 8084- 1 World Trade Center. Photo By: RavazziArt
Scaffolding at 45 degree angle
The scaffolding is hanging at a 45 degree angle on the south side of the building.
There appears to be some confusion over how many people are onboard.
Some reports suggest two while others say three. We will attempt to clear it up as soon as possible.
The first office tenants of the building only moved in last week.
Tonight's incident comes more than 13 years after the original World Trade Center was destroyed during the 9/11 attacks.
Crowds are gathering below to watch the scene as emergency crews work out how to get the men down.
Magazine publishers Conde Nast were the first to start moving in to the 104-storey, £2.5billion skyscraper.
The building is the centre piece of the 16-acre site where the Twin Towers once stood.
Workers are harnessed to scaffolding and uninjured
It now looks likely that it is two workers trapped rather than three as some reports suggest.
The window washers are harnessed to the scaffolding and are not injured
MORE: 2 people are on the scaffold dangling 50 stories up at 1 WTC in New York
Fire officials are now in communication with the two workers as they attempt to work out how to rescue them.
Firefighters lowering another scaffold down to workers
Firefighters are now lowering another scaffold down from the top of the building.
It is thought they will use this to pull the trapped workers to safety.
The other option for rescue workers would be to cut a hole in a window to pull them inside.
Firefighters have also been working to ensure the cables attached to the scaffold are secure.
Incredible picture shows dangling scaffold from inside building
This incredible picture shows firefighters inside the building looking at the scaffold containing the trapper workers.
No doubt this is absolutely terrifying for the two people trapped on-board.
Now: #FDNY rescuing workers trapped on scaffolding outside 1 World Trade Center. View from the 68th floor.
Window popped open close to scaffold
A window has now been popped open close to the scaffold.
It looks increasingly likely that the men will be pulled to safety from inside.
Both workers rescued
Both workers have now been rescued by emergency crews.
Less than an hour and a half after they became trapped, both are safely inside the building.
This picture below shows the moment the second worker was pulled to safety.
Pictures show moment men were pulled to safety
This series of pictures show the moment the men were pulled to safety.
No doubt both gave their rescuers a huge hug following their terrifying ordeal.
LATEST: Workers successfully rescued from scaffolding hanging off 1 World Trade Center
This is another picture showing the moment one of the stranded window washers was pulled to safety.
The New York City Fire Department will no doubt receive many compliments over the way it handled the incident.
Rescue workers pull a stranded window washer to safety
Despite both rescue workers now being freed, emergency workers will still need to get the platform back up the building.
At the moment it is still dangling precariously from the building.
Emergency workers have already evacuated areas on the ground below.
7:49 pm
Fire crews attached extra harness to workers before pulling them to safety
Some detail about the dramatic rescue is now emerging.
Fire crews attached an extra harness to both men after cutting through the glass.
They were both then pulled to safety. According to WNBC, one of the men had been washing windows for 14 years while the other had five years experience.
This video shows the moment the two window washers were pulled to safety by firefighters.
They had been dangling from the building for about 90 minutes.
They had been dangling from the building for about 90 minutes.
Rescued men identified
The rescued men have now been identified as Juan Lopez, a window washer for five years, and Juan Lizama, who has been on the job for 14 years.
Gerard McEneaney, a labor union official, told the NY1 news channel that it appeared that a cable had snapped after a mechanical failure.
Gary Hansen, an architect who worked on 1 World Trade Center for the architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, happened to be across the street while the platform was dangling.
He said that the building was designed with three cranes on top. Two of the cranes could be used to suspend platforms to allow workers to wash windows.
The third crane was available for emergencies such the one that unfolded today.
Workers in nearby offices clustered around their windows to watch the rescue while police closed off streets around the building.
"Things like this happen all the time in the city," Ray Elmadolar, a construction manager who works at a neighboring office building, said as he watched the unfolding operation, "but you don’t want it to happen so high up.
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