Blog Rash

hurled from blazing flat out of third-floor window is caught by policeman

This is the heart-stopping moment when a two-year-old boy was thrown from a third-floor window to escape a deadly fire.

He hurtled through billowing smoke to land safely in the arms of a policeman 40ft below.

His parents took their desperate gamble as flames tore through a block of flats in the southern German town of Ludwigshafen.

Last night it was not known whether they also escaped the blaze, which killed at least nine people, including five children.

more pictures…

Oustretched hands go up to catch the toddler plummeting to earth after tlats were set alight in Ludwigshafen, southern Germany

Terrifying sight: The young baby hurtles towards the ground from the third-floor window

Scroll down for more…

A further 60 were injured. Two more children survived by huddling behind a sofa. Police are investigating whether the disaster was an arson attack by neo-Nazis, as most of the families in the building were Turkish.

There was a similar blaze at a refugee hostel in the town eight years ago. As well as the 52 residents, the four-storey block was packed with friends and relatives watching a street festival on Sunday afternoon.

The blaze broke out on the first floor and fire officials said the wooden stairs acted like a chimney, drawing flames upwards.

“It would have been like a blast furnace,” said one. Web designer Rene Werse, 43, who took the picture of the falling boy, said: “I saw things that I shall never forget. There were people on their balconies and at their windows, screaming to get out. It was hell.”

Rescue: A boy is handed to safety as scared residents, mostly immigrants, make their way onto the balconies. It is feared the arson attack was carried out by neo-Nazis.

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.