Two girls, 2 and 5, stuck on third-floor ledge after waking up and climbing out window

The girls’ mum had gone out to buy meat from the butcher’s in Johannesburg, South Africa, so the girls panicked when they woke up alone and climbed out of the third-floor window

Two girls, aged five and two, have been rescued from a window ledge after they woke up from a nap and climbed out the third-floor window in their block of flats.

Their mother had gone out to the butcher’s to buy some meat on February 12 in Johannesburg, South Africa, and the girls, finding themselves alone, had climbed onto the third-floor window ledge.

Sergeant Tebogo Mailula, 33, part of the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) was reportedly on patrol with three other officers and spotted a big crowd outside some flats on the corner of Lilian Ngoyi and End street.

The two young girls were trapped on the outside ledge by their open window.

Wayne Minnaar, public safety spokesperson for the City of Johannesburg, said: “The officers could see two little girls walking on a ledge of the third floor of a building where the crowd was.

“A member of the public (was) trying to reach out to them from another ledge of a lower floor.

“Mailula acted very swiftly and proceeded into the building. He went to the flat of the open window on the third floor, but he found it locked.”

Officers asked the building caretaker to open up three apartments on the third floor so they could reach the girls.

A helpful local also climbed up a street pole to help and to calm the girls down.

Minnaar said: “The officers discovered that the mother had left the girls sleeping inside the flat to go to a butcher.

“The girls woke up and realized they were alone and climbed out of an open window.”

The spokesperson added: “The mother was surprised to see officers at her flat on her return.”

Sergeant Mailula then left the two girls in the care of the young mum. Public Safety head David Tembe has commended Sergeant Mailula for his brave actions.

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