A delivery driver in Vietnam has been hailed a hero after managing to catch a toddler who fell from a 12th floor balcony.
On Sunday, February 28, Nguyen Ngoc Manh was waiting to deliver a package to an apartment in a Hanoi high-rise building. As he sat in his truck, he could hear a child’s crying and a woman’s screaming above him. He just assumed it was another day with an emotional child.
The reality was far worse. On a 12th storey balcony around 164ft in the air, a little girl was teetering on the edge, to the horror of onlookers in other buildings and the street. Fortunately, the driver leaped into action.
¡HEROICA ATRAPADA!
Un repartidor le salvó la vida a una niña de 3 años que cayó del piso 12 de un edificio en Vietnam.
La nena sufrió fracturas en la pierna y en los brazos, pero está viva gracias a la heroica acción de Nguyen Ngoc Manh
, quien sufrió un esguince.#VIRAL pic.twitter.com/eI03quT0IM
— Unicanal (@Unicanal) March 1, 2021
A father-of-two himself, Manh climbed up a 6ft wall between his truck and the apartment complex where the toddler was dangling.
He explained to Anninhthudo: ‘Immediately I jumped out of the car, trying to climb the wall to the building next door. I climbed to the roof about two metres high to find a way to support her. The corrugated iron roof is the roof of a path leading down to the parking area, so it is inclined.’
He also told VN Express International: ‘I scaled the wall and saw that she could fall onto the metallic roof of the house used to store electric generators for the complex, so I tried to climb on top of it. I made it, but couldn’t stand firmly as the roof was crooked.’
Unicanal/Twitter
As the toddler plummeted to the ground, Manh actually slipped. Amazingly, after throwing himself forward, he still managed to catch the little girl.
Manh said: ‘Lucky, the baby fell into my hand, the two of them fell down, and the metal roof was sinking. I hurriedly hugged the baby, saw blood flowing from her mouth, I was very scared.’
He added: ‘She looked so much like my child at home. I was so confused, only able to tell her… please, please, I’m here now.’
The child wasn’t crying when Manh caught her. After being taken to National Children’s Hospital, doctors found she’d suffered a dislocated hip but no other injuries.
There’s no comparison there buddy .. this guy is a million time better than superman
— مياولانا المرشد
(@Meowlana2) March 2, 2021
Manh sprained his arms in the incident, but he wasn’t able to fully relax until he got him to see his own daughter. ‘Only when hugging my child in my lap did I ease my fear, my daughter is the same age as her,’ he said.
Manh’s social media has been rammed with thousands of people responding to his courageous act, with many calling him a hero and even donating money.
He said: ‘I don’t see myself as a hero. I just want to do good… some have sent me money via my phone number. This disorientates me. I don’t want to receive any money I haven’t earned by myself.’
