At least 33 tourists who spent a cold Thursday night trapped in several cable cars high above the French Alps have been rescued, officials say.

The tourists were suspended above the glaciers of Mont Blanc at an altitude of about 3,800m after wires carrying the cars became tangled.

They were among 110 people initially trapped when the cable cars ground to a halt on Thursday afternoon.
The cars are believed to have stopped after cables tangled in high winds.

Those trapped overnight were freed on Friday after rescuers managed to restart the cars by relaxing the tension of tangled cables.

Late on Thursday 48 people had been lifted from the cable cars by helicopter, while about 30 travelling in cars closest to the ground had been able to climb down with the help of rescuers using ropes.

Those rescued on Thursday night described a difficult rescue operation amid intense cold.

As darkness fell with the weather getting worse, the rescue operation was suspended leaving 33 tourists, one of them a 10-year-old, forced to spend the night suspended in mid-air.

Rescuers provided blankets, food and water to help them brave chilly mountain night-time conditions.

French, Italian and Swiss teams took part in rescue efforts.