LEAP OF FAITH
TWO terrified kids jumped 40ft from a burning flat and miraculously survived after being caught by hero bystanders in the street below.
One rescuer, Athoumani Walid, 25, told French radio he and other passersby "held out our arms and asked them to 'jump, jump, jump!'"
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The drama was filmed in the eastern French city of Grenoble on Tuesday when the three and ten-year-olds were both incredibly saved.
One rescuer, Mr Walid - a student - suffered a broken right arm because of the force of the catch, and said afterwards: "We really did save their lives!".
He said that he had heard them shouting in Le Villeneuve district, where he lives, and rushed toward the fire.
Mr Walid told the Parisien newspaper: "I saw the two children screaming. They were at the window on the third floor.
"There was a lot of smoke, flames, explosions, even inside the building. The children were scared. They were crying."
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The oldest of the terrified children, was heard to shout: "We don't have the keys to go out. We don't have the keys!"
Mr Walid - who told he is "very proud" of his actions - explained: "There were five or six of us at the bottom of the building.
“We held out our arms to them and asked them to 'jump, jump, jump'."
As thick black smoke poured from the windows, the 10-year-old lowered the younger child out the window by his arms, and then let go.
A group of men on the ground braced themselves, and successfully caught both children after they plummeted several storeys.
Amazingly, both children were completely unharmed, except for suffering from smoke inhalation.
Another man suffered an arm fracture and was taken along with Mr Walid to hospital for treatment.
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An investigation was launched into the cause of the fire, and to find out why the parents had left their children unattended.
The kids have not been identified for legal reasons.
The video of the escape, posted on the Oumsa-Dia Twitter account, has been broadcast all over France, turning Mr Walid into a national hero.
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