A hapless paramilitary trainee has cheated death after accidentally dropping a live hand grenade by his feet because he was ‘too nervous’ during a drill.
His quick-thinking commander dragged him to safety within three seconds and acted as a ‘human shield’ for the newbie after noticing the explosive slipping out of his hand. Both men were unhurt in the incident, according to authorities. Dramatic footage shows the grenade falling along trainee Li’s back in the near-miss in China.
The explosive lands inches away from Li’s feet after slipping out of his hand by accident The event took place on December 14 at the training ground of the Zhangjiakou Detachment of the Hebei Armed Police Corps, which is part of the paramilitary forces of China. The recruit, known by his surname Li, was training with instructor Cui Chengliang when he made the clanger, the Hebei Armed Police Corps claimed in a social media post.
He was said to be ‘too nervous’ to throw the grenade when the blunder happened. As part of their training, the military police recruits are expected to throw grenades onto a waste ground while taking cover behind a sandbag wall. The heart-stopping video shows commander Cui dragging Li away after noticing the mishap.
Cui lies on top of Li and acts as a ‘human shield’ to ensure the new recruit’s safe during a drill A dramatic video released by the Hebei Armed Police Corps over the weekend has captured the heart-stopping rescue. The 35-second clip begins by showing trainee Li and commander Cui standing behind a pile of sandbags when Li prepares to cast the weapon over the wall.
It then shows the grenade falling along Li’s back after accidentally sliding out of his hand before landing inches away from his feet.
Upon noticing the dangerous situation, commander Cui pulls Li by the arm and drags him to the other side of a lower sandbag wall to their left. Cui then uses his own body to shield Li by lying on top of the rookie when the explosive detonates. The smoke is so thick the pair disappears from view temporarily.
The footage ends when Li and Cui stand up as the smoke thins out. Cui and Li lie at the other side of a barrier made of sandbags as the slipped grenade detonates. The smoke of the explosion is so thick it blocks the pair from being seen by others temporarily
‘When the danger occurred, I was thrown [to safety],’ recalled Xiao Li, according to a post from People’s Armed Police of China.
The heroic savior confessed that he had acted out of his instinct. He is quoted saying: ‘Suddenly I saw a dark shadow falling. I judged that the grenade might have slipped out of the trainee’s hand.
‘My first reaction was to grab him, leap across the low wall, and press against him tightly to ensure his safety.’ Neither Li nor Cui sustained any injuries during the mishap, the Hebei Armed Police Corps confirmed
