A Mercedes crashed into a 600ft (183m) mountainside but astonishingly the 60-year-old driver survived with barely a scratch.

Terrifying dashcam footage from a car following the Merc along the Hehuan Mountain road in Taiwan on February 10 shows the vehicle veering towards the peak wall on the right.

Suddenly, the driver over-corrects, sending the car heading straight for the crash barrier and a dizzying drop.

Without attempting to brake, the Mercedes ploughs through the barrier and disappears nose-first into the steep ravine, seemingly heading for certain death.

However, police and firefighters were stunned to find the driver, named only as Yu, alive and conscious in the crushed remains of his car.

Authorities said the vehicle was so badly mangled that the entire bonnet and engine compartment had been pushed into the cabin.

Firefighters reportedly took four hours to reach and rescue the driver, who was taken to hospital with just cuts and bruises.

A police breath test showed he had not been drinking, and it is believed that exhaustion caused him to fall asleep at the wheel.

A police spokesman said: 'People should be extra careful on rugged mountain roads and drivers should make sure they are fit to drive.'