2 dangling workers rescued from 1 World Trade Center

NEW YORK -- New York City officials don't yet know why a cable malfunctioned and left a scaffold dangling precariously on the 1 World Trade Center tower, where two window washers were stuck for nearly two hours before a dramatic rescue.

Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro says firefighters used diamond cutters to saw through a two-layered glass window and bring the workers to safety Wednesday afternoon.

He says the workers had mild hypothermia after their ordeal outside the 69th floor of the nation's tallest building.

It started around 12:40 p.m., when one of four cables holding the scaffold developed some slack. The open-topped platform tilted to a nearly vertical position and swayed slightly in the wind.

The workers were harnessed to the platform, and firefighters also lowered ropes from the roof.

Tap to view photos if on News app.