VIRAL VIDEO: Footage that captured the moment Mamoudou Gassama climbed four storeys to save a child
THE 22-YEAR-OLD Malian man who saved a four-year-old child from a fourth storey balcony has joined the fire brigade in France.
Mamoudou Gassama climbed four storeys in less than a minute to save a child hanging on the outside of a building in Paris.
Video footage that captured the brave act went viral and led to Gassama meeting the French president, Emmanuel Macron.
Gassama was given a medal for “bravery and devotion” and told that he would receive French citizenship.
His immigration paperwork has been fast-tracked and following Macron’s offer of a job with the fire service, Gassama signed up for a 10-month internship at a fire station on Tuesday morning.
It is understood that Gassama will be paid around €600 (£525) per month. His French citizenship is believed to be officially granted in roughly three months time.
Prior to his heroic act, Gassama had been sleeping rough in a residence for migrants in Montreuil, an area outside of Paris, and was unable to work legally.
Since hitting the headlines he has been affectionately nicknamed “Le Spider-Man”. His situation has also brought renewed attention to the plight of undocumented migrants in France.
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