PARIS (AFP) – An 18-month-old boy survived after falling seven floors and bouncing off a Paris cafe awning into the arms of a passer-by, witnesses said Tuesday.

“My son saw a little boy on a balcony. He had gone right outside the railing… I said to myself I mustn’t miss him,” the toddler’s saviour, local doctor Philippe Bensignor, told AFP, recounting Monday’s drama.

“I had time to move from side to side to get in the right position,” he added. “The little boy was fine. He cried a little bit but calmed down straightaway.”

An official involved in investigating the incident said the boy had been left alone in the family apartment in northern Paris with his sister by their parents, who were taken into custody afterwards.

“It’s a real miracle,” said the cafe’s barman, who gave his name as Gaby, pointing to a small tear in the awning where the toddler bounced off.

“We were closed yesterday but the mechanical device for closing the awning wasn’t working.”