On 1/4, a cleaner and a security guard working on the ground level of an apartment complex in Beijing heard cries for help from above. Looking up, they saw an elderly woman clinging to an air conditioning unit's protective barrier on the 26th floor.
They immediately called for rescue and urged the woman to remain in place. However, she continued to descend until she became exhausted, stopping at the 21st floor, about 50 meters above the ground.
Firefighters arrived at the scene and began the rescue. They secured the woman with ropes, then cut through protective bars to create space for her to rest on the outdoor air conditioning unit, providing her with a jacket and water.
After allowing her to rest for 20 minutes, they used a stretcher to create a bridge between the air conditioning unit's platform and the 21st-floor apartment window. Rescuers then reached out to bring her safely inside. The woman was uninjured, only exhausted and frightened.
The woman explained that she lived alone in a 27th-floor apartment and had accidentally locked herself in her bedroom, with her phone left in the living room. She decided to climb down using the air conditioning barriers. Her relatives arrived promptly after being notified, expressing gratitude to the firefighters.
A video of the incident garnered over 4 million views on a Chinese social media platform. Many netizens expressed admiration for her physical strength and determination, nicknaming her "super grandma" and "the grandma version of Alex Honnold". Honnold is a renowned free climber who recently scaled the 508-meter-tall Taipei 101 skyscraper without ropes or safety equipment.
One commenter wrote, "Someone born in 1989 wouldn't dare climb down from the 27th floor, but an 89-year-old woman did it."
Hong Hanh (Source: SCMP)
