New York, New York - Things took a dramatic turn for the worse when a window cleaning operation in New York City was hit by severe turbulence from strong winds.

At the Deutsche Bank Center at Manhattan's Columbus Circle, two cleaners were in distress as they worked on the 78th floor on Friday, as reported by the New York Post.

The scaffolding had detached from the building and was only held up by safety lines when the fire department arrived.

The gondola crashed into the front of the skyscraper several times, sending shards of glass falling onto the street and sidewalk, forcing police officers to cordon off the area.

Accidents Delta plane flips upside down after crash landing in Toronto

Frightened passers-by looked upward at the hanging workers as rescuers arrived at the floor, where the windows had already been destroyed.

The crew secured the scaffolding with ropes and pulled up it towards the building so that the workers could get out, after which they were transported to a hospital in "stable condition."

"We were operating essentially on the ledge of a 78-story building," Lieutenant Nick Schneider of the New York Fire Department's Ladder Four said, noting that the operation was "extremely dangerous" for both the window cleaners and the rescue crew.