ZHANGPING - Six men in southeast China's Fujian province risked their lives to rescue a three year old girl who was hanging outside a 12th-floor apartment window.
The incident happened on the morning of Oct 17 at a residential area in Zhangping after the child became trapped in the metal window grille of her home.
According to Xinhua News Agency, the incident came to light after a resident shared a picture of the girl in a community chat group and alerted security guards for help.
The girl was seen hanging outside the window with her neck caught in the metal grille, while both her hands gripped the structure to stop herself from falling.
A security guard, Chen Youjie, rushed to the scene, where he met a resident, Chen Wenshui, who also stepped in to help.
They initially tried to get help from a unit on the 13th floor, but they could not reach the girl from the unit.
The owner of the unit, Lin Bing, later joined the rescue effort before they moved to the 11th floor, where they received help from another resident, Lu Yangze.
After noticing that the girl's face was beginning to darken as she struggled to breathe, Chen Youjie decided to climb out through a window on the 11th floor.
Without any safety equipment, he stood on the window ledge, holding onto the frame with one hand while using the other to hold a small stool under the girl to support her body.
This helped reduce the pressure on her neck and prevent her from being further trapped.
At the same time, Chen Wenshui held Chen Youjie's legs to keep him from falling during the rescue.
Two other residents, Chen Changyang and Zheng Weijiang, also joined the effort by holding the stool from outside the window to help support the girl.
Chen Youjie said the rescue required considerable physical strength and concentration as he had to support the child while keeping his balance.
"I was using every bit of strength I had. I had to support the girl while holding tightly onto the window frame.
"I also had to pay attention to where I was placing my feet," he said.
He said he was drenched in sweat and his body began trembling during the rescue.
Some of those involved were also afraid of heights but put aside their fears to ensure the girl's safety.
Lin said he was usually afraid of climbing buildings as high as the fifth or sixth floor, but the girl's situation pushed him to act.
"When I saw the girl hanging outside the window, the only thing on my mind was to save her," he said.
Throughout the operation, they also tried to calm the girl down and prevent her from crying or making movements that could put her in further danger.
After about 30 minutes, firefighters arrived at the scene, forced the door open and successfully pulled the girl back into the apartment.
The girl's parents were reportedly not at home at the time of the incident.
The girl was believed to have climbed towards the window looking for her parents after waking up and realising they were not at home.