Window washers left dangling after collapse in Manhattan

Two window washers were left dangling 70 floors in the air after a scaffolding collapsed in New York.

The workers were on the 70th floor of 25 Columbus Circle when one side of the scaffolding collapsed around 12.50pm Tuesday afternoon. 

Both workers were left hanging at a 45-degree angle alongside the Time Warner Center, police said after the incident.

An FDNY spokeswoman said the workers were able to get themselves to safety by climbing through a window of an apartment

‘Window washer unit currently stuck above Columbus Circle. FDNY is everywhere, much of the area taped off,’ one bystander tweeted.  

An FDNY spokeswoman told the NY Daily News that the workers were able to get themselves to safety by climbing through a window of an apartment.

Firefighters arrived on scene and made sure the scaffolding was secure enough to hand over to the window cleaning company. 

Dramatic photos showed the scaffolding tilted at an angle after the workers made it to safety. 

The window washer’s injuries were minor and treated at the scene. 

‘This afternoon, there was an issue with a window washing rig,’ a spokesman for the Time Warner Center said in a statement to CBS. 

The Time Warner Center said out of caution the ‘western side of Columbus Circle has been closed until further notice’ but other entrances to the building are operating as normal. 

The identities of the workers have not been released.  

Dramatic photos showed the scaffolding tilted at an angle after the workers made it to safety. The window washer’s injuries were minor and treated at the scene

The Time Warner Center said out of caution the ‘western side of Columbus Circle has been closed until further notice’ but other entrances to the building are operating as normal. The identities of the workers have not been released