A little girl who slipped through metal bars and became trapped by the neck was saved by the heroic efforts of her neighbours. Na Chu had just returned from a trip to the zoo when her grandmother accidentally locked her in the house by herself in the Xiangtan, south China. The five-year-old panicked and ran to the window but fell between the protective metal slats of the residential property, the People's Daily Online reports. Scroll down for video . Long drop: The child dangles from the residential block in the Xiangtan District, south China . Propped up: A neighbour stops the five-year-old from suffocating by giving her a poll to sit on . Neighbours rushed to help after they spotted the little girl hanging in the air with her head trapped between the bars. Some used a piece of pipe to prop her up and prevent her from suffocating, while others supported her feet before firemen eventually arrived - half an hour later. One neighbour told local TV: 'Her terrified screams alerted us and we saw that the upper half of her body was lodged between the security bars and she was slowly slipping down. Rescue: A fireman helps the little girl who has fallen between the metal bars and become trapped by her neck . 'So a bunch of us leapt to action to try save her. We grabbed a drainpipe section and used that to prop her up. And we were talking to her, telling her not to panic.' Another woman took a handful of blankets from her home and laid them on the road below in case the girl fell. People have taken to Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter, to praise the tireless efforts of the neighbour below, who supported her feet the entire time. They coined the term 'lifting man' in reference to him, which has now become internet slang for anyone who does a good deed. Help: The good Samaritan supports the child's legs while a worried crowd gathers below the apartment block . Slow response: People took to Weibo to praise neighbours and criticise the emergency services for taking 30 minutes to reach the girl, whose rescue was covered by local TV . ‘Nice people are still around,’ commented online user ‘Baby Lexuan’. Others criticised the emergency services for not getting there fast enough.
Five-year-old had accidentally been locked in by grandma . She ran to the window to shout her but fell between the metal slats . Neighbours used piece of pipe and other items to take weight off neck . Emergency crews arrived 30 minutes later to free her from railings .