Story By: Ana Lacasa, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: CEN

This is the moment a quick-thinking mum manages to grab her toddler’s ankle in the nick of time just as he is about to plunge through a gap in a banister and fall down the stairs.

The incident was filmed in the offices of the construction company Monserrate in Los Laureles of the city of Medellin located in the central north-western Colombian department of Antioquia and posted on YouTube where it has been viewed 152,000 times.

In the footage, the mum is seen leaving the lift with her young son, who is reportedly around 18 months old.

Pictures Credit: CEN & CEN/NoticiasCaracol

As she talks on her phone, she lets her toddler’s hand go and he wanders towards the staircase.

The tot kneels in front of the stairs and he appears to lose his balance and his little body topples forwards.

Just as the child is about to tumble down the steps head first, his mum dives forwards and grabs his ankle.

Several workers witness the incident and rush out of an office to help the mum.

Reports said that the youngster was uninjured.

Eyewitness Luis Fernando Ortiz told local media: “It was a huge shock, I thought the kid was going to die.”

Risk management expert Carlos Gil said: “It wasn’t caused by the mum being distracted, this is the responsibility of the building’s management to carry out safety measures and this was a risk, we saw it, it could have cost the child his life.”

Reports said that the area was only secured with boxes and ropes two days after the incident.

Monserrate manager Juan Esteban Franco told local media that he regrets what happened, but isn’t able to do too much as the building is shared by other companies.

It is unclear whether the local authorities are investigating the building’s security measures.

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