Firefighters lowered a brave 13-year-old boy into a narrow hole to rescue a trapped girl in China.

The operation began when a three-year-old toddler fell into a cramped well in Handan, Hebei province.

The small opening of the pit made it impossible for adult rescuers to reach the distressed toddler.

As fire crews worked to widen the area using an excavator, a teenager courageously volunteered to go down and assist.

He was then fitted with full protective gear before being lowered 23ft (7m) into the well to secure a safety rope around the child's body.

However, the girl was wedged in a painful split-legged position and was unable to cooperate due to intense discomfort.

The kindhearted boy then returned to the surface, and emergency responders decided to break open a 40cm hole in the well wall. This allowed them to reach the girl and lift her to safety after more than an hour of intense operations.

Dramatic footage shows the crews finally extracting the little girl, covered in mud, from the waterhole.

Medical examinations confirmed that the toddler's vital signs were stable.

Authorities reminded parents and guardians to always keep a close watch on their children to prevent similar incidents in the future.