One World Trade Center Window Washers Trapped, Dangling Near 68th Floor

UPDATE, 2:31 p.m. EST: Members of the FDNY have rescued the two window washers, who were not injured and were in contact with the fire department throughout the whole ordeal, according to CBS New York. FDNY members broke a window in the tower to reach the workers, who were then brought to safety at about 2:10 p.m. EST Wednesday, the network reported.

Two One World Trade Center window washers were reportedly hanging perilously about 68 floors above the ground Wednesday afternoon, clinging to scaffolding dangling from the newly opened New York City building. News footage showed the two workers standing on a platform hanging at a diagonal angle from the upper reaches of the building.

Authorities said they were launching a rescue mission to save the workers, according to CNN. The Christian Science Monitor's David Clark Scott reported via Twitter that a second scaffolding was being moved into place in an attempt to save them. The FDNY said the workers were tethered and were not injured, CNN reported.

The scaffold slipped or fell on One World Trade Center's south side at about 12:45 p.m. EST Wednesday, and members of the NYPD, FDNY and Port Authority of New York & New Jersey were on the scene shortly thereafter, according to CBS New York. The network said that it is believed that upon completing a round of window-cleaning, the workers were planning to return to the top of the building when the scaffold carrying them slipped after a cable loosened.

Reports by news outlets and on Twitter of which floor the scaffolding was hanging near varied, with some saying it was as low as the 50th floor but most suggesting it was closer to the 70th floor of the 104-story tower. The FDNY tweeted out an image of the rescue attempt from inside the building at 1:47 p.m., confirming that it was indeed the 68th floor.

One World Trade Center only opened for business last week, when the first round of employees of the publisher Condé Nast moved into the $3.9 billion building, the tallest in the U.S.