This is the Mission Impossible moment when firefighters dangle from Vienna's 200-foot-high 'Third Man' ferris wheel in what looks like a nail-biting scene from an action movie.

Astonished passersby on 14th May saw rescue experts swarming over the iconic landmark in the Austrian capital heading for the highest cabin on the veteran ride.

Then moments later they were seen abseiling down to the ground in a rapid, controlled 65-metre drop.

Mercifully, though, it was just a realistic training drill for 26 specialists from five different fire brigades in Graz state during three days of exercises.

Other rescues took place inside factories and from high building as the squads shared their expertise and new techniques with each other.

Hosts at the Vienna fire service told local media: "This year, the focus is not only on technical training but especially on the exchange of different methods and experiences."

Built in 1897 to celebrate Emperor Franz Josef I's Golden Jubilee, the Giant Ferris Wheel is one of Europe's most recognisable landmarks.

It became world-famous after featuring in Orson Welles' 1949 movie 'The Third Man', where he starred as crooked black marketeer Harry Limes.

The bond has become so strong that the film is still screened daily in the city's cinemas.