Russia: man rescued from rubbish chute after he jumped into it to hide from his girlfriend

Emergency workers in Tyumen, central Russia, had to rescued a man from a rubbish chute after he jumped into it to hide from his girlfriend.

The man plunged three floors from the eighth floor of an apartment building in Tyumen, Siberia, before getting stuck. Residents then heard the 31-year-old man’s cries for help.

Rescue workers had to use tools to cut him free. He was not seriously hurt.

He had had a row with his girlfriend, officials said, without elaborating.

Soviet-era buildings in Russia frequently have a metal rubbish chute in the stairwell, with a latch opening on each floor.

Tyumen emergency service officials said the incident happened late on Wednesday, but the man is already back at work.

“According to the 31-year-old victim, he jumped into the metal chute on the eighth floor to escape his girlfriend,” a statement on the service’s website said.

The officials said there had been a similar incident in Tyumen a few years ago, again with a happy outcome.