Hot air balloon crashes into electricity pylon, leaving passengers dangling 215ft in air

Firefighters climb metal tower before abseiling down with passengers one-by-one

A hot air balloon hangs on top of a high-voltage power line in Bottrop (AP)

Six people have been rescued from a hot air balloon after it crashed into an electricity pylon in western Germany.

The group were trapped in a basket dangling 215ft (65m) in the air for hours after the balloon collided with the metal tower near the city of Bottrop on Sunday evening.

Firefighters climbed the pylon and rescued the passengers one-by-one by abseiling down.

The operation involved about 90 rescue workers and lasted six hours.

The occupants of the balloon were uninjured but were taken to hospital as a precaution.

Authorities said the balloon deflated and came into contact with a 380,000-volt power line, but the basket did not touch the wires.

The first rescue workers who arrived at the scene made contact with the balloon passengers using a megaphone. They were later able to speak to them over the phone.

Power company Amprion switched off supply during the rescue and was due to begin removing the balloon from the wires on Monday.

It is not yet clear what caused the crash, the fire service said.

The Federal Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has launched an investigation.