THIS is the horrifying moment two parents watched their toddler push his way through a lift door and plunge down the shaft.
His father Alexey was forced to dive in to rescue his two-year-old son Matvey from the apartment tower lift in Voronezh, Russia.
Two-year-old Matvey pushed into a lift shaft in an apartment block in Voronezh, RussiaCredit: East2West
His horrified father Alexey tried to catch hold of him – but was unable to stop the lad plummeting into the darknessCredit: East2West
CCTV footage from the lobby shows the tiny lad in a warm hat and coat walk over to the lift door and push against it.
Suddenly, the panel gives way and the boy shoots straight down into the darkness – with the horrified dad scrabbling in vain to catch hold of him.
The father wastes no time in squeezing through the lift gap to reach his son – all the while terrified the lift could descend and crush them.
His mother shone the torch so her husband could locate the boy.
After a short time, he was able to post the boy back up onto the floor and into the waiting arms of his mother.
The two-year-old plunged 6ft down and by some miracle avoided metal spikes at the base of the lift shaft.
Hero neighbours heard the screams and held the lift at the third floor, preventing it from lowering and crushing the pair.
Alexey said: “We rushed to hospital and thank God our child is fine.
“He got away with just a fright and a few bruises on his head and back.
“But the situation is terrifying.”
He added: “I immediately jumped after him.
“We were lucky that the neighbours heard the noise, came out, and stopped the lift so it wouldn’t go further.
“My son was saved by a miracle — he fell safely and didn’t land on the rebar lying at the bottom of the shaft.”
The child was now home and “has calmed down”, he said.
The Russian Investigative Committee, which probes serious crimes, has opened a probe.
Alexey said: “The lifts in our new building, which was put into operation just over a year ago, are simply awful.”
“Over the entire year, both of them have worked for only about two months in total.
“And when they do work, it’s frightening to ride them — there’s noise, creaking, and grinding.
“A new lift shouldn’t operate like that.”
His mother grabbed the boy after Alexey posted him back upCredit: East2West 
