“People trying to help me couldn’t break the window. Without an emergency hammer in the car, I couldn’t open the door. I watched the water rising higher and higher, only 2-3 cm from the roof. I felt despair then,” said a motorist surnamed Li, whose rescue video went viral online recently.

Li, who lives in Shenzhen, drove through the flooded Tangxin Street after his usual route was blocked during a delivery trip to Dongguan, Guangdong, on Monday. Underestimating the depth of the floodwater after days of torrential rain, he lost control of the vehicle, which quickly sank, leaving him unable to open the door.

Li Chunjiu, 55, was the first to dive into the water after hearing the shouts for help. He attempted to maneuver the car to a shallower area but was unsuccessful.

Even though he couldn’t swim, Feng Guolin, a primary school teacher, waded through the water, which reached his neck. Armed with a mop handed to him by onlookers, he tried to break the window but also failed.

Liu Lichuan, the third man rushing to assist, swam to the car and joined Li Chunjiu in the effort to maneuver it, but it still wouldn’t budge. He then swam to a dry area, took a spanner from convenience store keeper Xu Dongxiao, and began smashing a window.

Liu and Feng took turns breaking the glass until it finally shattered. However, they were dismayed to find that they still couldn’t open the door.

Deng Bixing, a water department staff member monitoring the flooding situation nearby along with two off-duty policemen who happened to pass by, also joined the rescue effort.

Eventually, Deng succeeded in opening the rear door of the trapped car, allowing others to pull Li out.

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With the assistance of a local police station, Li reunited with his rescuers in Dongguan on Wednesday.

Acknowledging the risks his rescuers took, Li expressed his gratitude in a letter: “You could have chosen not to get involved and ensured your own safety. But you chose to step forward and extend a helping hand to a total stranger. Your courage, kindness, and warm-hearted nature shine with the truest brilliance of humanity.”

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This article is translated by China Daily from the original report in Chinese as published on Dongguan Fabu, an official WeChat public account of Dongguan government.