NEW YORK, April 19 (UPI) -- New York City rescue officials pulled the last of 69 people stranded nearly 12 hours in disabled cable cars to safety by 4:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Power to the Roosevelt Island Tram went out at 5:22 p.m. Tuesday, and it wasn't until nearly six hours later that rescue buckets were deployed to get the passengers down, WABC-TV, New York reported.
One car was suspended over the East River with 47 passengers, while the second was over East Manhattan, The New York Times said.
The rescue was delayed as two attempts to restore power to the system failed.
Police and rescuers stayed in contact with the passengers using cell phones, and encouraged them to remain calm. Drinks and snacks were sent up to the gondolas in the rescue bucket, which can hold 12 people at a time.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the 30-year-old tram system would not roll again until it has been tested and a review done to determine what happened.
No injuries were reported among those rescued or the rescuers, the reports said.
