Firefighters rescued two workers who were trapped mid-air for over an hour after a gondola suspended from the top of a Hong Kong high-rise luxury tower malfunctioned and tilted sideways.

Police said they received a report at 2.50pm from a security guard at The Belcher’s, a residential development near the University of Hong Kong, that two workers were stranded on a gondola attached to Tower 8 of the development.

The Belcher’s is a large residential complex on Pok Fu Lam Road with six high-rise towers. Tower 8 has 59 floors.

Footage from the scene showed a firefighter abseiled down to the gondola and rescued one of the trapped workers at about 4pm, lifting him safely back to the top of the building.

The second worker was rescued in a similar operation at around 4.30pm.

Gondolas, or suspended working platforms, are commonly used in Hong Kong’s skyline of high-rise buildings for tasks such as window cleaning and exterior wall maintenance.