Neighbours in China save girl, 3, dangling from a 12th-floor window by her head while her mother was out shopping

Two men in the flat below stretched out from their respective windows and used a stool, wedged beneath the toddler, to bear her weight. The girl had squeezed through the safety grille of her home in Zhangping, Fujian province, at around 7.48am on 17 October. Only her head, caught in the bars, prevented her from falling to the ground. Firefighters later cut through the metal bars in a shower of sparks to free her.

She was home alone, left asleep while her father was at work.

A resident posted photos in the estate's group chat to raise the alarm.