A boy found dangling by his neck from a laundry rack outside his home in east China has been rescued unharmed by an off-duty fireman.
Video footage of the incident shows a seven-year-old boy swaying dangerously from side to side as the brave man scrambles off a neighbour’s window without a safety harness to reach him.
The boy had been left at home by his mother while she went to pick up his older sibling from school in Rugao city, Jiangsu province on Thursday.
A boy found dangling by his neck from a laundry rack outside his home in east China’s Jiangsu province has been rescued unharmed by a brave off-duty fireman
Reaching from inside, the man lifted the child back to safety as concerned residents cheered
He reportedly felt scared and attempted to climb out of the balcony to look for his mother.
The heroic firefighter, later identified as 39-year-old Qiu Chunjie, was passing by the apartment building on his day off when he heard a commotion.
Fearing that the boy might fall to his death at any moment, Qiu immediately ran up five storeys to the neighbour’s flat after alerting his unit.
‘Uncle, please help me!’ the trapped boy cried, according to Modern Express.
Without any protection, Qiu climbed out of the neighbour’s window and slowly walked on the drying racks attached to the side of the building.
Fearing that the boy might fall to his death at any moment, Qiu immediately ran up five storeys to the neighbour’s flat after alerting his unit. Both were unhurt after the dramatic incident
‘It is my duty to save lives,’ off-duty fireman Qiu Chunjie (pictured) later told reporters
To position himself better, the fireman first climbed into the boy’s flat through the open window.
Then, reaching from inside, he lifted the child back to safety as concerned residents cheered in relief.
‘The boy appeared to be in a lot of stress as he struggled to hold himself up,’ Qiu told reporters. ‘I told him to stay calm and that I’ll rescue him very soon.’
The boy suffered minor abrasions to his ears from getting stuck between the metal bars, according to the report.
The boy’s mother also reached home after being contacted by the local police.
‘It is my duty to save lives,’ Qiu said. ‘But it is extremely dangerous for parents to leave their children at home alone. They should never do that.’