YouTubeDramatic video has emerged showing the moment a mum and her toddler were pulled from a sinking car just seconds before it sunk to the bottom of a canal.
According to the Huffington Post the terrifying incident took place in the freezing waters of Amsterdam’s Schinkel River.
The video shows four men selflessly diving into the icy river to rescue the pair from the vehicle.
With the car sinking fast, they manage to smash the rear window with a hammer before pulling them out just as the vehicle disappears down into the murky waters.
Emergency rescue crews then arrive on the scene and the mother, her toddler and the four men are all hauled out of the waterway.
YouTubeThe mum and her child – who have not been identified – were reportedly taken to hospital and are recovering well, according to the BBC.
Sky News reports the woman had parked up next to the river, but when she got out, the car suddenly started moving, with the infant on the back seat.
She tried to rescue the chid, but the car plunged into the river with both of them still inside.
The four men – unknown to each other before the incident – posed for this photograph following the rescue:
Dit zijn ze: de 4 mannen die moeder en kind uit te water geraakte auto Sloterkade redden https://t.co/Eg728Kd8Gc pic.twitter.com/O1OsKrU6nR
— AT5 (@AT5) February 9, 2016
According to Yahoo News one of the heroes, identified as Ruben Abrahams by local media, said:
The rescue effort was quite a natural reaction. I think every healthy young man would have jumped into the water.
Amazing work from all these guys, true heroes.
