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This is the moment three people trapped in a car almost completely submerged by floodwaters are rescued after workers used a lorry’s trailer to reverse up to the vehicle and smash a window to pull them to safety.
The drama unfolded near the Xintong Motor Vehicle Inspection Station in Teng County, in China's Guangxi province, at around 5pm on 4th August after torrential rain caused water levels on the road to rise rapidly.
Video shows the sedan stranded in fast-moving floodwater with the current lapping near the top of its windows as the lorry reverses toward it and a bus presses against its rear to stop it from being swept away.
Inspection station worker Wu Xuqian is seen standing on the trailer’s back end, stretching one leg to stand on the car’s side and using a hammer handed to him by a bystander to smash through the glass.
He and colleagues then form a human chain, passing the three occupants from the car to the trailer one by one, while others stand on the trailer holding umbrellas, hammers and wrenches to help.
Wu later recalled that the water was already inside the car when he reached it and that he was scared because he could not swim, but said he focused only on breaking the window to free the people.
Colleague Li Fazhi had driven the lorry into position after deciding its weight could be used as a bridge and shield from the current.
The car’s owner told rescuers the windows would not open because the electrics had failed when the water poured in.
Wu added that the bus driver’s decision to hold the car steady was crucial, as without it the vehicle could have been swept into a roadside ditch where rescue would have been far more difficult.
The three people rescued were unharmed. The car was later towed away by recovery teams.
Those involved in the rescue included three inspection station staff, a retired soldier, a warehouse driver and local residents.
(Mike Leidig / newsX)
Byline Journalist: Mike Leidig
Byline Sub editor: Simona Kitanovska
Byline Spotter: Ivica Stojanovski
Byline Commisioning Editor: Mike Leidig
Byline Senior Writer: Mike Leidig
Byline Picture Editor: Zorica Stojkovik
Byline Video Editor: Aloysius Fernandes
Byline Copychecker: Emily Wu
Byline Illustrator: Angela Trajkovska
Byline News Editor: Mike Leidig
Geography: Teng_County
Subject: Accidents, Accidents In Water, Road Accidents, Motoring, Cars, Nature, Weather, Phenomenon, Flooding
T4 Editor Story Rating: 6
T4 Editor Pic/Vid rating: 8
T4 Total rating: 7
