SCDF rescues 2 workers from dangling gondola outside Raffles City Tower

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) has rescued two workers who were stranded on a dangling gondola outside Raffles City Tower on Monday (July 21).
In a Facebook post on Monday afternoon, SCDF said it responded to a height rescue incident at around 11:20am.
Upon arrival, firefighters immediately checked on the gondola's stability and the condition of the two workers who were stranded on it between the 28th and 29th floors.
Rescuers from the Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (Dart) also responded to the scene, setting up rescue equipment at the 29th and 30th floor.
The gondola was then secured with safety lines before a Dart rescuer descended onto the gondola to rescue the two workers who were wearing body harnesses, SCDF stated.
The rescuer managed to secure the two workers and took them into the building through the windows on level 29 and 30.
Both workers were assessed by an SCDF paramedic and taken to Raffles Hospital in a stable condition.
The duo had been cleaning the exterior of the tower when the accident occurred.
The gondola, which was being retracted, was left dangling at an almost vertical angle.
According to Lianhe Zaobao, the accident took place around 11.30am as the gondola hung outside the building's 26th storey.
A Raffles City Singapore spokesperson told AsiaOne that the two workers from their building contractor had been carrying out routine maintenance work at the Tower when the weather suddenly changed at around 11.20am.
An immediate stop work order was issued, but while the gondola was being retracted, it tilted to one side.
"Given the weather, it was deemed unsafe to continue straightening and retracting the gondola at that point," the spokesperson said, adding that all supporting ropes were intact.
Both the SCDF and the gondola's vendor were activated to provide onsite assistance and both workers were moved to safety by about 12.30pm before being taken to a nearby hospital for medical check-ups. No injuries were reported.
"Workplace safety is of utmost importance to us," the spokesperson stated.
"Both workers were secured within the gondola with the safety harness at the time of the incident, and the gondola in question had just undergone a full safety check last month."
The incident is being investigated, the spokesperson said.
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