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WELLINGTON | Mon Jul 26, 2010 12:24pm EDT

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - A 15-year-old New Zealand boy has survived with minor injuries after falling 16-storeys from the balcony of his family's apartment onto a concrete floor, New Zealand media reported Monday.

The New Zealand Herald said the teen-ager fell about 50 meters off the balcony, dropping through a carpark roof that may have broken his fall before he hit the concrete. Another tenant raised the alarm after seeing the boy fall past his window.

The newspaper said medical experts were amazed that the boy survived as few people managed to live if they plunged from more than five storeys.

The teen-ager was described as in a stable condition in an Auckland hospital with a broken wrist, broken rib, gashed leg and internal injuries, the New Zealand Herald reported.

"God must have been with him. He's got an angel looking after him, that's for sure," housekeeper Kaa Wehi, who was working in the building at the time, told the newspaper.

(Writing by Belinda Goldsmith, Editing by Gyles Beckford)

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Comments (13)
battcomp wrote:
This is what happens when your body is totally relax very resilient. may he heal himself quickly

Jul 25, 2010 12:42am EDT  --  Report as abuse
oldtimer78 wrote:
Many years ago my teenage son, who had, with a friend, been painting the wall of our house, stepped back from the edge of the garage roof onto part of the roof which was of corrugated plastic. He fell through it, only a couple of metres, to the concrete floor. Thank God,he had only minor hurts but just missed falling onto a car cylinder block, which had steel studs several inches long sticking up.

Jul 26, 2010 2:26pm EDT  --  Report as abuse
bahbow1000 wrote:
buddy calm down. this is one of those rare stories that dont end in death. how self absorbed do you have to be to turn this into a debate about god? hahaha because a housekeeper made a reference? get off your soapbox. hahaha wow

Jul 26, 2010 6:46pm EDT  --  Report as abuse
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