This is the shocking moment a Uruguayan midfielder who plays for the national team is rescued as he dangles from the 11th-floor window of a burning hotel after a fire broke out.

The footage was taken at the Cyan Hotel de las Americas in the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires in the early hours of Tuesday (25th May), where the footballer’s club was set to play the CONMEBOL Libertadores.

The video shows firefighters rescuing Uruguay central midfielder Francisco Duarte, 21, who is seen holding onto the 11th-floor window from his hotel after a fire broke out which origin is still under investigation by the authorities.

Duarte was in Argentina as his top-flight Uruguay club CA Rentistas was set to face the top-tier Argentine club Racing Club de Avellaneda for their 2021 CONMEBOL Libertadores group stage match.

Local media said Duarte was taken to a hospital as a precautionary measure after he was treated for inhaling smoke but is reported to be out of danger. It is unclear if he has been discharged.

Two other players from Rentistas were reported to be treated for inhaling smoke but their identities were not confirmed.

However, according to a statement by the Uruguayan club, Duarte was staying at the Cyan Hotel de las Americas along with fellow teammates Damian Malrechauffe y Andres Rodales which is a separate hotel where the rest of the squad was.

The three footballers were quarantined after testing positive for COVID-19 upon entering Argentine to play in their last Copa Libertadores group match which Racing won 3-0 yesterday (25 May).

According to Argentine newspaper Todo Noticia (TN), Duarte said he was sleeping when a loud noise woke him up and he saw the black smoke engulfing the inside of the building. (https://bit.ly/2RDrAYV)

He said: “I wanted to get out but I couldn’t because there was too much black smoke and heat surrounding me so I could not get out.

“Luckily I did not panic and remained relatively calm, opened a window and managed to get out.”

He added that he was standing at the precipice for 30 minutes “that felt like three or four days” but was very thankful that the firefighters responded to the call very quickly.

Rentistas were knocked out of the competition with three points following their recent loss as Racing sit top of Group E with 14 points after six matches and are qualified to the Round of 16.