Merak, Banten. A couple was rescued alive from their car which plunged into the sea after failing to embark on a ferry at Merak Port in the province of Banten on Friday night.

Port workers reacted quickly when the accident occurred and first rescued the male driver in a dramatic scene in which some people jumped into the sea and swam toward the sinking car. 

A more horrifying moment ensued in the following attempt to save the woman as half of the car submerged, leaving only the back seat above the surface of the water.

The woman was finally pulled out of the car thanks to heroic actions by quick-thinking rescuers who broke the rear glass window as they raced against time.

“I was having a conversation with a security guard when I heard from the handy talkie that a car had plunged into the sea,” one of the rescuers who introduced himself only as Kasman told BTV news channel.

“We jumped into the sea and saved the man. We asked him if there is another person in the car and then we returned to rescue the woman,” he said.

According to preliminary investigation, the car was still on the side ramp door when the ferry suddenly moved and detached from the platform, throwing the car and the people inside to the water, Banten Police spokesman Chief Comr. Shinto Silitonga said early on Saturday.

“We are investigating if there’s criminal negligence that caused the side ramp door to detach,” Shinto said, adding that the police were interrogating witnesses and collecting evidence, including footage from security cameras at the ferry port.

Identities of the driver and his girlfriend were not disclosed but police said they are residents of Depok, West Java, who planned the sea crossing to visit the woman’s parents in the South Sumatra capital of Palembang.