A little girl who slipped through metal bars and became trapped by the neck was saved by the heroic efforts of her neighbours . Na Chu had just returned from a trip to the zoo when her grandmother accidentally locked her in the house by herself in the Xiangtan , south China . The five-year-old panicked and ran to the window but fell between the protective metal slats of the residential property , the People 's Daily Online reports . Scroll down for video . Long drop : The child dangles from the residential block in the Xiangtan District , south China . Propped up : A neighbour stops the five-year-old from suffocating by giving her a poll to sit on . Neighbours rushed to help after they spotted the little girl hanging in the air with her head trapped between the bars . Some used a piece of pipe to prop her up and prevent her from suffocating , while others supported her feet before firemen eventually arrived - half an hour later . One neighbour told local TV : 'Her terrified screams alerted us and we saw that the upper half of her body was lodged between the security bars and she was slowly slipping down . Rescue : A fireman helps the little girl who has fallen between the metal bars and become trapped by her neck . 'So a bunch of us leapt to action to try save her . We grabbed a drainpipe section and used that to prop her up . And we were talking to her , telling her not to panic . ' Another woman took a handful of blankets from her home and laid them on the road below in case the girl fell . People have taken to Weibo , the Chinese equivalent of Twitter , to praise the tireless efforts of the neighbour below , who supported her feet the entire time . They coined the term 'lifting man ' in reference to him , which has now become internet slang for anyone who does a good deed . Help : The good Samaritan supports the child 's legs while a worried crowd gathers below the apartment block . Slow response : People took to Weibo to praise neighbours and criticise the emergency services for taking 30 minutes to reach the girl , whose rescue was covered by local TV . ‘ Nice people are still around , ’ commented online user ‘ Baby Lexuan ’ . Others criticised the emergency services for not getting there fast enough .
Five-year-old had accidentally been locked in by grandma . She ran to the window to shout her but fell between the metal slats . Neighbours used piece of pipe and other items to take weight off neck . Emergency crews arrived 30 minutes to free her from railings .