Is this the most miraculous escape ever?

Driver survives horrific crash after truck FLATTENS his car

By Anthony Bond

A Chinese driver has had an incredible escape after his car was squashed virtually flat after being buried underneath a ton of gravel. The car was crushed when a lorry laden with gravel tipped over and spilled its entire load.This sparked a major rescue operation, with firefighters first on the scene amazed to discover that the driver was still alive.

Crushed: A Chinese driver has had an incredible escape after his car was squashed virtually flat after being buried underneath a ton of gravel

Rescue: The car was crushed when a lorry laden with gravel tipped over and spilled its entire load onto the car. This man pictured was left trapped inside the tiny space

 A witness who saw the accident in Xiangtan, southern China's Hunan Province, said those at the scene did not hold out much hope for the man inside the vehicle. 'We thought the driver definitely died', he said.

Firefighters called in a crane to help lift the lorry - but it was initially too small, so they had to call for help from a larger machine. Meanwhile, they used shovels and their hands to clear the large mound of gravel away from the top of the vehicle, as they desperately tried to reach the crushed driver.

Once the heavy crane arrived, they managed to successfully lift the lorry.

Buried: Firefighters and other rescue workers are pictured attempting to clear away all the gravel from on top of the car

Concerns: A witness who saw the accident in Xiangtan, southern China's Hunan Province, said those at the scene did not hold out much hope for the man inside the vehicle

It then made clearing the gravel easier and they sawed open the car roof to free the casualty. He was finally pulled free more than an hour after the accident. He was sent to hospital where doctors discovered he had several broken bones.

Safe: The man was finally pulled free more than an hour after the accident

Horrific: The car was barely recognisable underneath the gravel