Two window washers were rescued Wednesday after being trapped 68 stories above ground on scaffolding attached to the World Trade Center in New York, according to NBC News.
One of the motorized cables on the scaffolding snapped or came loose, New York Fire Department officials told WNBC. The fire department added that the workers were secured and harnessed in the scaffolding, and that they were not in imminent danger. Winds were relatively calm, at about 6 mph.
“Thanks to the cooperation and determination of the FDNY, PAPD NYPD, other first responders, and the efforts of our World Trade Center Construction staff, two men are going home safely to their families tonight,” Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Executive Director Pat Foye said in a statement released late Wednesday. “We are focused on ensuring the safest operation possible through comprehensive oversight, routine safety drills and ongoing training programs.”
According to the statement, before Wednesday, there had not been any similar problems at the new building. The last inspection was conducted by the New York State Department of Labor on June 11.
The fire department, which was in contact with the trapped workers, posted a photo on Twitter of the window washing scaffolding seen from inside the building.
Now: #FDNY rescuing workers trapped on scaffolding outside 1 World Trade Center. View from the 68th floor. pic.twitter.com/3c7Oi8EZPD
— FDNY (@FDNY) November 12, 2014The skyscraper opened for business just last week, 13 years after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks killed thousands of Americans on the same ground in lower Manhattan. The World Trade Center, which clocks in at 1,776 feet, is the tallest building in the U.S. Publishing company Conde Nast was one of the building’s first tenants, and began moving in last week.
Window washing platform collapsing on 1 WTC bldg – just drove by pic.twitter.com/NZIsno6vNQ
— Zachary Prensky (@Zackfoot) November 12, 2014%3Cblockquote%20class%3D%22instagram-media%22%20data-instgrm-captioned%20data-instgrm-version%3D%224%22%20style%3D%22%20background%3A%23FFF%3B%20border%3A0%3B%20border-radius%3A3px%3B%20box-shadow%3A0%200%201px%200%20rgba%280%2C0%2C0%2C0.5%29%2C0%201px%2010px%200%20rgba%280%2C0%2C0%2C0.15%29%3B%20margin%3A%201px%3B%20max-width%3A658px%3B%20padding%3A0%3B%20width%3A99.375%25%3B%20width%3A-webkit-calc%28100%25%20-%202px%29%3B%20width%3Acalc%28100%25%20-%202px%29%3B%22%3E%3Cdiv%20style%3D%22padding%3A8px%3B%22%3E%20%3Cdiv%20style%3D%22%20background%3A%23F8F8F8%3B%20line-height%3A0%3B%20margin-top%3A40px%3B%20padding%3A50%25%200%3B%20text-align%3Acenter%3B%20width%3A100%25%3B%22%3E%20%3Cdiv%20style%3D%22%20background%3Aurl%28data%3Aimage%2Fpng%3Bbase64%2CiVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAAGFBMVEUiIiI9PT0eHh4gIB4hIBkcHBwcHBwcHBydr%2BJQAAAACHRSTlMABA4YHyQsM5jtaMwAAADfSURBVDjL7ZVBEgMhCAQBAf%2F%2F42xcNbpAqakcM0ftUmFAAIBE81IqBJdS3lS6zs3bIpB9WED3YYXFPmHRfT8sgyrCP1x8uEUxLMzNWElFOYCV6mHWWwMzdPEKHlhLw7NWJqkHc4uIZphavDzA2JPzUDsBZziNae2S6owH8xPmX8G7zzgKEOPUoYHvGz1TBCxMkd3kwNVbU0gKHkx%2BiZILf77IofhrY1nYFnB%2FlQPb79drWOyJVa%2FDAvg9B%2FrLB4cC%2BNqgdz%2FTvBbBnr6GBReqn%2FnRmDgaQEej7WhonozjF%2BY2I%2FfZou%2FqAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC%29%3B%20display%3Ablock%3B%20height%3A44px%3B%20margin%3A0%20auto%20-44px%3B%20position%3Arelative%3B%20top%3A-22px%3B%20width%3A44px%3B%22%3E%3C%2Fdiv%3E%3C%2Fdiv%3E%20%3Cp%20style%3D%22%20margin%3A8px%200%200%200%3B%20padding%3A0%204px%3B%22%3E%20%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Finstagram.com%2Fp%2FvTwMRMsomx%2F%22%20style%3D%22%20color%3A%23000%3B%20font-family%3AArial%2Csans-serif%3B%20font-size%3A14px%3B%20font-style%3Anormal%3B%20font-weight%3Anormal%3B%20line-height%3A17px%3B%20text-decoration%3Anone%3B%20word-wrap%3Abreak-word%3B%22%20target%3D%22_top%22%3EI%26%2339%3Bm%20glad%20I%26%2339%3Bm%20not%20the%20window%20cleaner%20on%20that%20cart%20right%20now.%20%23nyc%20%23wtc%3C%2Fa%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%20%3Cp%20style%3D%22%20color%3A%23c9c8cd%3B%20font-family%3AArial%2Csans-serif%3B%20font-size%3A14px%3B%20line-height%3A17px%3B%20margin-bottom%3A0%3B%20margin-top%3A8px%3B%20overflow%3Ahidden%3B%20padding%3A8px%200%207px%3B%20text-align%3Acenter%3B%20text-overflow%3Aellipsis%3B%20white-space%3Anowrap%3B%22%3EA%20photo%20posted%20by%20ravazziart%20%28%40ravazziart%29%20on%20%3Ctime%20style%3D%22%20font-family%3AArial%2Csans-serif%3B%20font-size%3A14px%3B%20line-height%3A17px%3B%22%20datetime%3D%222014-11-12T17%3A49%3A13%2B00%3A00%22%3ENov%2011%2C%202014%20at%209%3A49am%20PST%3C%2Ftime%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%3C%2Fdiv%3E%3C%2Fblockquote%3E%3Cscript%20async%20defer%20src%3D%22%2F%2Fplatform.instagram.com%2Fen_US%2Fembeds.js%22%3E%3C%2Fscript%3E’
David Taintor