A Kazakhstan man has been hailed a "hero" on social media after a video of him saving a toddler dangling from the eighth floor of a building went viral. Risking his own life, the man plunged into action, scaling the building to save the child from falling. The man, identified as 37-year-old Sabit Shontakbaev, was on his way to work with a friend when he saw a crowd and heard a commotion. After realising what was happening, he quickly rushed into the building knocking at the door of an apartment on the seventh floor. A video captured by an onlooker shows him climbing out of the window, without any hesitation, sans a harness or helmet, to save the three-year-old girl. He is seen hanging to the facade of the building as he grabs the girl and lowers her into the apartment below. Watch the heroic moment here: Taking to social media, the country's Department of Emergency Situations wrote that the first responders were alerted around 10 am that a child was hanging from a window of a building at 27/1 Uly Dala Street in Nur-Sultan. “Nur-Sultan DES units consisting of 7 personnel and 2 units of equipment were sent to the scene. Upon arrival, it was discovered that a man rescued a child hanging from the cornice of the balcony on the eighth floor,” a social media post by the ministry read. The post explained that Shontakbaev's friend, Sabit Sagi, also participated in the daring rescue operation; he held Shontakbaev's leg from inside the apartment. "With the combined efforts of two friends, the girl's life was saved in a few minutes," the ministry's post added. Rescuers warned parents not to leave their children unattended at home to avoid such situations. View this post on Instagram A post shared by 🇰🇿🚒ҚР ТЖМ, МЧС РК (@tjm_mchs) Shontakbaev, who has four children, says he doesn’t consider himself to be a hero, according to local media. As his act of bravery went viral, First Vice Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Major General Kulshimbayev Ibragim Batyr, awarded Shontakbayev with the medal "For Courage in Emergency Situations". View this post on Instagram A post shared by 🇰🇿🚒ҚР ТЖМ, МЧС РК (@tjm_mchs) His friend, too, was honoured with a letter of thanks and a wristwatch by the Order of the State of Kazakhstan for his bravery.
