A rescue operation has been completed after a fairground ride on London's Southbank left people hanging 20 metres in the air. Nineteen adults and children were left stranded on the attraction as ten hanging capsules became stuck.

Firefighters used an aerial ladder platform to reach the people and bring them back down to safety. Crews were alerted to the incident at about 6pm BST this evening (31 July) – some 30 minutes after the Starflyer ride malfunctioned.

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Shortly before 10pm BST, the Southbank Centre tweeted: "We're pleased to report that following a fault on the Starflyer ride @LdnWonderground earlier everyone has been removed safely from it."

Station Manager Clive Robinson who was at the scene said in a statement earlier: "Crews are using an aerial ladder platform which is a bit like a cherry picker to reach the people and bring them back down. It's slow work as we need to access each cage on the ride individually and ensure they are secure before we move them from the ride onto our platform and bring them back down to the ground.

"There are no injuries and everyone is patiently waiting for us to get around to them."

Two people at a time were reportedly being brought down from the attraction. "They've got four or five people out so far, I got here 45 minutes ago and they were stuck since then," witness Diksha Chadha, told the Evening Standard as the rescue operation was taking place.

"The fire brigade came and they are trying to get people out, there are four fire engines," she added. "I think some of the people look scared, but some are just taking videos.

London