Over 100 passengers have been stranded for more than six hours on the world's largest ferris wheel in Singapore after it ground to a halt on Tuesday.

The Singapore Flyer stopped working at 4.50 pm (0850 GMT), a company spokeswoman said.

Local media said a "technical error" had caused the breakdown of the Flyer.

The company spokeswoman said when the Flyer stopped operating there were 173 passengers onboard but that some had been lowered to safety with the use of harnesses.

Standing at a height of 165 metres (541 feet), the Flyer started operations in the city state in February and is 30 metres (98 feet) taller than the London Eye.

It has 28 bus-sized capsules attached to a circular frame 150 metres (492 feet) in diameter. Each capsule can accommodate 28 people.

The Flyer is part of Singapore's drive to boost tourism dollars.

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