French authorities said about 150 skiers have been rescued after becoming stranded in chair lifts at a resort in the French Alps.

The skiers at the Chamrousse ski resort, near Grenoble, were trapped for several hours when their ski lift broke down on Sunday.

The rescue operation lasted about two hours, Franck Lecoutre, head of the local tourism office said.

“They will all be in time for Christmas Eve,” he said, noting that no one had been hurt.

The gondola cars run 25 meters (82ft) above the ground.

Violaine Demaret, the prefecture official, says two civil security helicopters dropped rescue personnel over every car to open the roof hatches, release the skiers inside and lower them down to safety.