A butterfingered Chinese soldier almost killed himself and his drill sergeant when he fluffed a throw during hand grenade practice.
This video -- which has become an online hit after being covered by TV stations in China -- shows the moment the bungling soldier made the potentially fatal gaffe.
During an army training exercise, the man can be seen preparing a hand grenade for a throw as his drill sergeant watches and offers guidance.
Then, at the point he needed a steady hand and nerves of steel, he hurled the grenade straight into (rather than over) the blast wall in front of them.
The explosive bounced off the wall and back into a ditch towards where he was standing.
While the recruit dived to the ground, his quick-thinking captain dragged him to safety by pulling him to the other side of the ditch.
And it's a good job he did, because seconds later the blast threw dirt and smoke into the air. No-one was injured during the blunder.