BERLIN (Reuters) - A 91-year-old German sparked a rescue operation when he slipped mending his roof and got stuck fast in tar "like a beetle on its back," police said on Tuesday.

Passers-by were so shocked to see the elderly handyman working on the roof they first thought he was planning to commit suicide, according to police in the eastern city of Magdeburg.

"In fact he was just re-coating the roofing with bitumen. But then he slipped," said a spokesman for police.

"When we got there, he was like a beetle on its back, with his arms and legs sprawled out and completely glued to the roof," he added. "Due to his age, he couldn't free himself from his unfortunate situation."

Local firemen carefully detached the man using ropes and ladders. He was unharmed, but had sticky clothes, police said.

This is funny? Prolly not for the 91-year-old man in Germany. I thought I had a sick sense of humour, LJ, LOL. You're a real badaxe!!