This is the moment a Chinese man is driven back to safety after he was rescued by Brazilian workers who pulled him to safety at the last minute, just as he started to sink.

The 48-year-old Chinese man was rescued by workers from the company Brasclean at the port of Santos. Sao Paulo, Brazil, on 23rd March.

The Sao Paulo Port Authority (CPSP) of the Brazilian Navy said that the Chinese man was seen in the water, close to the Container Terminal (Tecon).

They added: “The rescue was carried out and the victim was taken to the floating dock.”

He was taken to Port Authority headquarters with signs of hypothermia and disorientation.

The CPSP added: “It was possible to verify that the victim has Chinese nationality and has a valid Foreigner Identity Card.”

Emergency operator Leonardo Fama, 32, told local media that he was on duty on a vessel with a colleague when he noticed people waving at them.

The pair headed towards the men and heard that there was a person adrift in the canal.

He said: “When we saw the victim, it looked like a scene from a movie.

“He was white, his nose was full of secretions, he looked like he was already dead.

“We noticed that he was not dead because the boat touched him and he took his last breath and sank.”

Chinese Man Gets Facial Paralysis After Binging World Cup Matches

Leonardo said the man did not have the strength to raise his arms.

He added: “He started to go to the bottom, so I caught him and held him by the arm.

“I called my friend, we caught him, we lifted him onto the barrier [of the vessel].”

Leonardo said the man had a low heart rate and was barely breathing so they started putting clothes on him to keep him warm until they arrived at the Port Authority headquarters.

He said: “In that way we rescued him, he was already dying. He wasn’t going to survive another two minutes there in the water.”

Said that when he regained consciousness, they could not understand him and added: “We tried to communicate with him in English, but he doesn’t communicate in English. It must just be his language, Mandarin, I don’t know.”

Leonardo said he does know where the man was before he fell into the water and only learned that he has four children.

Leonardo said: “When he [the victim] was ‘coming back’, my friend and I were happy .

“I think that with our duty accomplished, this a mission given to us and we managed to come out with our 100 per cent, thank God.”