A young Malian migrant is being lauded in France after he scaled the outside of a building in Paris to rescue a young child dangling from a balcony.
Video of the rescue shows 22-year-old Mamoudou Gassama climbing up four floors of the apartment building in just seconds to rescue the child, to cheers from onlookers.
By the time Parisian emergency services arrived at the building, he had already pulled the child to safety.
Speaking to CNN-affiliate BFM TV after the rescue, Gassama said he had been in the neighborhood to watch a football match in a local restaurant when he saw the commotion.
“I like children, I would have hated to see him getting hurt in front of me. I ran and I looked for solutions to save him and thank God I scaled the front of the building to the balcony,” he said.
The video shows neighbors on an adjoining balcony struggling to pull the child to safety.
French President Emmanuel Macron joined a chorus of French leaders congratulating the young migrant, according to BFM TV.
The French leader has invited him to the Elysee Palace on Monday to personally thank him.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said on her official Twitter on Sunday she had called Gassama to thank him, congratulating the Malian migrant on his act of bravery.
“He explained to me that he arrived from Mali a few months ago with the dream of making a life for himself here. I replied that his heroic act is an example for all citizens and that the City of Paris will obviously be keen to support him in his efforts to settle in France,” she posted to Twitter.
