Firefighter saves toddler's life over phone

A mini-pretzel nearly caused a death of a two-year old boy in the northwest Hamburg suburb Eimsbüttel on Saturday, German rescue services said.

Multiple callers reported that the child was unable to breathe and that his heart "was not beating anymore," the authorities said in a statement.

The emergency operator, an employee of the local firefighting service, was able to communicate with the boy's father and several passers-by and talk them through a reanimation procedure.

The amateur rescuers worked for around a minute before remains of the mini-pretzel were dislodged from the child's windpipe. The boy managed to cough it out and "began to scream."

"It's good news for all concerned: a child that screams is able to breathe and his heart is beating," the emergency services said in a statement published online.

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Rescuers were at the scene less than half a minute after the boy regained consciousness.  The boy and his parents were taken to a hospital.

"The little boy's life could only be saved by the combination of instructions received through the phone and the courageous efforts of the first responders," authorities said.

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