Chinese firefighters rescue elderly man from pool of asphalt

Firefighters in eastern China used their bare hands to rescue an old man who fell in a pool of asphalt, state television reported.

China Central Television said the man was almost submerged in the three-metre-deep pool at a village in Shandong province and could not move.

Only his face was visible and he was said to be barely breathing.

Firefighters used their hands to lift the man out after battling with the sticky asphalt for two hours.

The report said the man “wandered carelessly” into the pit, but gave no other details. The firemen reached the man via ladders as they decided heavy rescue equipment was not suitable on the marshy ground.

The man was sent to hospital in a stable condition.