Miracle in Surat: Man Falls from 10th Floor, Survives After Dangling from 8th-Floor Grille

New Delhi, December 26, 2025: In a heart-stopping incident that has since gone viral, a 57-year-old man in Surat narrowly escaped death on Thursday morning after falling from his 10th-floor apartment. The man, identified as Nitinbhai Adiya, miraculously survived when his leg became wedged in a window grille on the 8th floor, leaving him dangling upside down hundreds of feet above the ground.

The Incident: A Slip in Sleep

The terrifying ordeal began around 8:00 AM at the Time Galaxy residential building in the Jahangirabad area of Surat. According to family members and local authorities, Mr. Adiya was sleeping on a mattress placed near the window of his 10th-floor flat. In a tragic turn of events, he reportedly slipped out of the window in his sleep.

His fatal plunge was abruptly halted two floors down. Fate intervened as his leg got tightly caught between an iron window grille and a concrete balcony projection (chhajja) on the 8th floor. The impact left him suspended mid-air, hanging headfirst with a sheer drop beneath him.

A High-Stakes Rescue Operation

The sight of the man dangling precariously triggered immediate panic among residents, who quickly alerted the fire department. Within minutes, teams from the Jahangirpura, Palanpur, and Adajan fire stations arrived at the scene.

Firefighters executed a sophisticated, “double-protection” rescue strategy:

• Ground Safety: A large safety net was deployed on the ground floor to catch Mr. Adiya in case he slipped during the rescue attempt.
• Securing the Victim: Rescuers reached the 10th floor and lowered safety belts and ropes to secure his body while he was still suspended.
• The Extraction: Simultaneously, another team reached the 8th-floor window. Because his leg was severely jammed, they used hydraulic cutters to carefully slice through the metal bars without causing a sudden jolt.

“Every second counted. We had to ensure he was secured from above before we even touched the grille on the 8th floor,” said a fire official involved in the operation.

A Tense Hour Ends in Relief

For nearly an hour, onlookers and residents watched in breathless silence as the rescue team battled gravity and limited space. Finally, after a grueling 60-minute operation, the firefighters successfully freed Mr. Adiya’s leg and pulled him through the window to safety.

The crowd below erupted in cheers as he was brought inside the building. Mr. Adiya, though conscious, was visibly shaken and in significant pain. He was immediately rushed to Gurukrupa Hospital via an ambulance.

Current Status

Doctors have confirmed that while Mr. Adiya suffered a leg fracture and minor bruising from the pressure of the grille, he is in stable condition and his injuries are not life-threatening. Local authorities have praised the swift coordination of the Surat Fire and Emergency Services, noting that their “textbook execution” turned a certain tragedy into a miraculous survival.

The incident has sparked discussions among Surat high-rise residents regarding the safety of window designs and the importance of installing protective meshes or grills, especially in homes with low windows.