A mother who ran into the street with her unconscious son screaming for help has praised two workmen who saved his life.

Zainab Mulla was in shock when her one-year-old son, Ziyaad, collapsed and turned blue at their home in St Matthews, Leicester.

The baby's father, Ilyas, 33, began praying over the youngster's body on their sitting room floor because the couple believed he was about to die.

However, after seeing workmen Kris Hutton, 23, and Andy Hanson, 55, walking past her home, Zainab scooped up her son and rushed outside – shouting to the two men for help.

Engineer Kris removed the baby's clothes after noticing he had a high temperature and began rubbing the youngster's back to get him breathing again.

Meanwhile, colleague Andy was on the phone describing the situation to emergency services, who arrived minutes later to take the child to hospital.

"I thought I'd lost my little boy," said Zainab, 22. "His face and hands had gone blue and his eyes had rolled back in his head – my husband prayed over him because he thought he was about to die. It's the most terrifying experience of my life.

"I can't thank Kris and Andy enough – they're amazing."

After the terrifying ordeal last Friday, March 19, the family spent nine-and-a-half hours at Leicester Royal Infirmary while doctors examined poorly Ziyaad.

His parents were told a viral infection had spread from his ear to his chest, which caused breathing problems.

Doctors took blood samples from Ziyaad and put him on a drip, before declaring him well enough to go home. Ziyaad and his relieved parents returned home at about midnight.

Kris, from Enderby, had been on the phone to his girlfriend when he saw Zainab running towards him with her baby in her arms, shouting.

He said: "I've got a little boy the same age and I didn't really think about it – I just tried to get him breathing again. It was over in a flash."

Andy, who lives in Birmingham, and works with Kris for security installation firm ABCA Systems, said: "While Kris was doing that, the mum and dad were panicking and I was on the phone to the ambulance. When the baby started breathing again it was a real relief."