A grandmother in China who suffers from Alzheimer's was rescued yesterday after climbing down the exterior of a high-rise building for 10 storeys with her bare hands.

The elderly woman in her 80s had escaped from her home on the 14th floor through the windows after being locked in by her family members.

She was pulled into safety by a family on the fourth floor who opened their windows to drag her into their apartment, a fire brigade in Chengdu said on social media.

Onlookers gather around to film the pensioner as she slowly moves down along the façade of the tower block in Chengdu, China, yesterday morning. She was rescued by neighbours

The pensioner was spotted at heights while carrying a red fabric bag yesterday morning.

She slowly moved down the residential building with the help of the metal bars outside a ventilation shaft.

A worker from the residents committee said the grandmother has Alzheimer's. The disease could cause the sufferer to lose memory, orientation and the ability to think and reason.

It is said that the grandmother had been locked in her home on the 14th floor by her family members before making an escape through the windows. She climbed down unprotected

The worker told Red Star News the pensioner's family had locked her in her 14th-floor flat and had not expected her to escape.

Firefighters said they were alerted to the incident at around 10am.

Eyewitnesses told them that an elderly woman was 'hanging' on the façade of a building.

One firefighter told Cover News he and his colleagues immediately attended to the scene.

He added that the grandmother was saved when they were about to place an inflatable mattress underneath her.

It remains unclear if she suffered any injuries from the ordeal.