This is the moment a firefighter catches a girl on an 18th-storey ledge after suddenly leaping down to her position as she tries to jump.

The dramatic incident was filmed in Si County in the eastern Chinese province of Anhui on 20th April.

Firefighter Zhang Yongjun managed to grab the girl just as she jumped from the 18th-floor ledge and colleagues helped him drag her to safety.

He said that the girl appeared resistant to people in uniform so he removed his jacket and stood behind a wall so she could not see him, waiting for the right opportunity to make his move.

In the footage, the firefighter’s lunge toward the girl apparently makes her jump from her lofty position.

The clip shows the girl sitting on the ledge as several firefighters stand nearby on a balcony, with Yongjun just out of view in a black top.

He suddenly jumps down to her position, apparently spooking the girl and forcing her to jump from the ledge.

However, Yongjun manages to catch her arm and hold on until colleagues rush to his aid and pull the dangling girl back onto the balcony.

The authorities said the girl is starting to feel better after being saved without providing any further information as to what caused her to apparently try to take her own life.