Cable car passengers trapped over East River

Dozens of people in two cable cars are hanging hundreds of feet above New York’s East River today, hours after the system lost power because of a mechanical problem.

Both cars of the Roosevelt Island Tramway, which shuttles commuters and tourists between Manhattan and nearby Roosevelt Island, stalled at about 5.15pm yesterday local time, stranding about 70 people, said Herb Berman, president of the agency that operates the system. No injuries were reported.