Lucky man survives accidental fall from 10th-floor window

Hong Kong (ANTARA News) - An off-duty prison officer who plunged from the balcony of his 10th-floor apartment escaped death when his fall was broken by a clothesline, Hong Kong police said Thursday.

The 46-year-old was gathering up washing on his own balcony when he lost his balance and fell over the side.

He fell nine floors but landed on a nylon-rope clothes rack on a first-floor balcony that acted like a safety net, preventing serious injury.

He was taken to hospital with minor injuries to his leg and head. He was said to be in a stable condition Thursday.

The South China Morning Post credited his luck to the fact that the accident occurred on the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, which in Chinese tradition is considered a lucky day, DPA reported.(*)