A Chinese hero used his bare hands to rip open the door of a burning vehicle, saving the driver moments before the car was engulfed in flames.

Footage of the rescue, taken by a witness from a distance, has gone viral on mainland social media, attracting more than 4 million views on a single platform.

A car and a petrol-driven tricycle collided on the road in Shaoguan, southern China’s Guangdong province, on May 1.

The car came to a stop at the side of the road after the crash, but the tricycle, which had rolled over, was on fire and surrounded by toxic fumes.

Zhong Wei, 35, witnessed the whole accident which happened next to his home.