This is the dramatic moment a driver stranded in the middle of a river was rescued by locals using wooden boats.

Courtney Love Aquino Ramos and other residents spotted the hapless man standing on top of a half-submerged white Mitsubishi L300 van in Isabela, the Philippines.

Footage shows two men rowing towards the driver, who is seen waving continuously for help, on December 19.

When the small boat reached him, he hopped onto the vessel, causing it to capsize under his weight.

This prompted another boat to rush towards them to rescue the residents and the motorist. As the second boat was unable to take everyone on board, the man had to cling to the side of the vessel as they returned to safety.

The two men who first attempted the rescue can be seen bailing out water from their overturned boat before paddling back to the bank.

Courtney said: 'We speculate that the driver was drunk. We saw him driving across the submerged bridge even though people told him that he should not. Despite what happened, we are glad that locals were able to rescue him. May this be a lesson learned for him.'

The driver did not sustain any injuries in the incident.

The Philippines has long struggled with ageing infrastructure, with many roads and bridges falling short of safety standards.

Ongoing issues within the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) have seen private contractors linked to inflated costs and stolen funds, leaving projects unfinished or poorly built and raising safety concerns.