A video of a man in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan risking his life to save a three-year-old from falling from an eight-floor window went viral. The man has since been hailed a hero.
The video capturing the stunning scene showed a three-year-old reportedly alone at the house at the time of the incident hanging by a window ledge.
Heroic rescue
According to Times Now News, Sabit Shontakbaev was walking with a friend when he spotted the child hanging from a window on the eighth floor of the building in Nur-Sultan. He then rushed to rescue the child. His friend held onto his legs from the apartment below.
The rescue, which lasted for at least a minute showed the toddler holding on to life as Mr.Sabit climbed outside, stood at the window, and urged the child to let go.
The man then started tugging her right leg since the distance between the window is about three feet.
The girl let go of her grip as Mr. Sabit caught her in one motion, the man finding his balance before passing on the child inside the room to someone's waiting hands.
Locals in the area alerted the emergency services before the man started the rescue but it appeared that officials would not have reached in time to save her life.
Award for a heroic act
Kazakhstan's ministry of emergency situations named the man a hero and awarded him a medal for taking quick rescue action, saving the toddler's life. He was awarded a badge, "For Courage in Emergency Situations" by the first Vice-Minister of Emergency Situations.
According to the ministry, the three-year-old girl was alone in the apartment at the time of the incident. Fortunately, Sabit, 37, saw the child crying and hanging for her life. Without hesitation, he risked his life, took emergency action, and literally caught and saved the little girl's life in a matter of seconds, The Independent reports.
Subdivision of the Department of Emergency Situations of the city of Nur-Sultan, consisting of 7 personnel and 2 vehicles, were sent to the scene.
When the ministry arrived, it was established that the man had saved the child dangling from the eight-floor window.
Caution against leaving children unsupervised
The ministry also addressed the parents that although there is a happy ending for the occasion when the child was rescued safely, there are however many other incidents with a tragic outcome as per NDTV.
The ministry warned not to leave children unsupervised by adults, and never leave the windows open when there is a child at home because one may be distracted for a second, and the kid may just leap out of the window, leading to their disability or death.
Meanwhile, the dramatic rescue footage had taken the internet by storm. Many netizens thanked the man for his bravery.
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