This is the heroic moment a passing driver rescued a boy who was buried in mud while playing with friends.

Driver Le Van Ti Hon said he was sitting inside his taxi with two tourist passengers when he suddenly heard children shouting for help in Con Dao, Vietnam, on August 6.

Reacting quickly, he rushed to investigate and found that an 11-year-old boy who had been playing with three other youngsters in the woodland but become trapped under a pile of mud.

The children said they had been digging in the sand and building it into a small mound. As the boy crawled inside a 5ft hole they had created, the structure gave way and buried him.

Footage from the scene on Luong The Tran Street, Ward 5, shows Ti Hon clearing the mud with the help of one of the tourists, who initially used his bare hands before switching to a long branch to dig further.

Ti Hon said: 'Anyone in that situation would have done the same. Luckily, the child was rescued in time and returned safely to his family. I also thank the tourists who helped save the child.'

Although no injuries were reported, local authorities have since urged parents and guardians to closely supervise children and prevent them from playing in potentially dangerous areas such as construction sites or unstable ground.