Dozens of tourists will spend the night trapped in cable cars suspended in the French Alps, after high winds caused a mechanical failure.

A huge rescue operation was launched after more than 100 people were left trapped in panoramic cable cars suspended 50 metres in the air close to Mont Blanc in the Alps.

French, Italian and Swiss rescue services have been using helicopters to evacuate 50 of the 110 sightseers stranded in Chamonix.

But with darkness falling, rescue services have been unable to bring the other 60 to safety, meaning they'll have to spend the night in the cabins.