Three-year-old survives 8 metre fall at Joburg shopping centre

A three-year-old boy survived an eight-metre fall unscathed at a Johannesburg shopping centre on Thursday, according to a report.

"It's a miracle," the boy's father George Asvestis said.

"I witnessed that. I was expecting the worst as a parent."

Asvestis was waiting for photos to be developed at Bedford Centre on Thursday morning when his son fell through a gap in a balustrade, The Star newspaper reported.

The boy, Stefano, hit the ground near a coffee shop, landing on his stomach.

After tests and a full examination, doctors found Stefano had no major injuries and not a single broken bone.

Asvestis told The Star no one from the centre had yet contacted him.

Bedford Centre manager Debbie Sharnock told the publication she was glad the child was fine.

"This is obviously under investigation, but the priority now is the well-being of the kid and the father. It is an absolute miracle that he is fine, it was quite a fall," she was quoted as saying.

She said she would be in a better position to comment when she had all the facts.