This is the dramatic moment heroic neighbours caught a boy as he leapt from a burning apartment in Russia.

Footage shows the boy positioned above a 50ft (15m) drop on a balcony railing in St Petersburg on March 31.

Below, three neighbours held out a blanket and urged him to jump as the fire drew closer. The child, reportedly no older than six, then bounced from the second-storey flat into the fabric below.

A man was also seen rushing towards the group, apparently to help.

While the sheet partially cushioned his fall, it was not gripped tightly enough to prevent him from hitting the ground with a heavy impact. He was taken to the hospital, where he is believed to be receiving treatment for leg fractures.

Firefighters said the blaze started from a cigarette butt discarded from a higher balcony.