Chinese men catch baby falling from building

This combination of three screen grabs taken from CCTV footage on May 18, 2014 shows (from top to bottom) two men reaching out with their hands as they prepare to succesfully catch a one-year-old baby falling from a window in the Xiaolan township of
This combination of three screen grabs taken from CCTV footage on May 18, 2014 shows (from top to bottom) two men reaching out with their hands as they prepare to succesfully catch a one-year-old baby falling from a window in the Xiaolan township of Zhongshan, south China's Guangdong province. -- PHOTO: AFP/CCTV

BEIJING (AFP) - Dramatic images of two Chinese men catching a young child after he fell from a second storey window were released on Friday by Chinese state media.

A man walking past a building during a thunderstorm in the southern province of Guangdong spotted a baby who had climbed dangerously onto the window sill, provincial broadcaster Guangdong TV said.

In the video footage he was joined by another bystander, and both threw up their arms in anticipation of the child's fall.

Finally the infant tumbled down into the pair's arms.

Some reports on the incident on Sunday have said he was a one-year-old looking for his mother.

"I didn't think too much at the time. I was just afraid of failing to catch him," local media quoted the first man, surnamed Li, as saying.

The video has created a storm on social media worldwide, with thousands posting comments.

"Wow... that is what I call nice catch! That guy is a hero!" wrote one YouTube user.

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