This is the heroic moment a retired soldier leaps into a raging torrent to rescue a person trapped in a car after it crashed into a river.

The car crashed into the river in the Pidu district of Chengdu in Sichuan, China, on June 13.

The soldier who witnessed the accident realised that the person inside had not emerged and he grabbed a lifebelt and jumped to swim after the fast-disappearing vehicle.

The soldier, named Jiao Dayin, was then assisted by a second man named WangYihui and they reportedly smashed the windows open to get the people out before the vehicle sank to the bottom.

It was reported that the only person injured was the 53-year-old retired soldier who suffered cuts on various parts of his body as he scrambled through the broken window to pull the people inside to safety.

The injuries were reportedly severe enough that he needed to be hospitalised for treatment.

The former squaddie previously saved a person who was trying to jump off a bridge. Asked why he had risked his life, he said: 'This is what I should do. I believe that other people will not ignore it if they encounter it.'