Google uses terrifying video of Siberian roofer on top of skyscraper

A thrilling video of a roofer from Siberia standing at the top of the Shanghai Tower has been used by Google Russia to advertise a new product. Shot last year during the construction of the giant 632 metre-tall Chinese skyscraper, it now promotes the 'OK Google' application for mobile phones.

Entitled 'How you can use your voice at an altitude of 632 metres', it demonstrates how the American-based search engine can be used in any place, at any time. During the video, which has gone viral across Russia, Novosibirsk roofer Vadim Makhorov is shown asking the height of the building in a voice command to Google.

And in a humorous moment, he is then heard saying: 'Mama will be shocked. I hope she will not see this video.'

Mr Makhorov said the company contacted him and his partner Vitaly Raskalov and bought the rights to the clip of them scaling the tower – which they did without any safety mechanisms.

It has become the first in a new series of commercials for Google, but the roofers did not say how much money they were paid for the footage. Almost one million people have viewed the advert on the Google Russia channel over the past five days.

The original video with the climbing on Shanghai Tower was posted by Makhorov and Raskalov on YouTube on February 12, 2014. It has been viewed almost 41 million times.