This is the moment three Russian fishermen attempt to cross an icy river in their SUV but it is pushed off course by strong currents and two of them fail to get out of the vehicle and die.

The incident was filmed at Plotnikov River in the district of Ust-Bolsheretsky in the far-eastern Russian region of Kamchatka Krai on the afternoon of 7th November.

Local media said the nearest bridge was only three kilometres (1.9 miles) away from where they attempted to cross the river.

The footage shows the fishermen discussing how to reach the other side of the river before deciding to use the SUV, as it was not far.

While attempting to cross, the vehicle’s engine smokes and it is apparently unable to move through the river before it is apparently pushed off course and begins to sink.

One fisherman can be heard saying: “I said we shouldn’t do it this way, damn it. We have to get out.”

However, as water fills the vehicle, another man says “the door won’t open” and the three men fall silent.

Denis Golub, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the region, said in a statement: “At around 1.30pm on 7th November, a driver, born in 1966, of a Toyota Hilux Surf tried to cross the Plotnikova River in Ust-Bolsheretsky District.”

He added that the vehicle sank due to strong currents, adding that “the driver died on the spot. A passenger born in 1953 who was sitting in the back also drowned. Both men died before the emergency services arrived.”

Golub added: “The third passenger, born in 1948, got out of the car and was uninjured.”

The surviving fisherman reportedly called the emergency services after making it to safety.

The victims’ bodies and the SUV were lifted from the bottom of the river on the same day.

The local authorities said they are carrying out autopsies on the men’s bodies to determine whether alcohol was present in their system at the time of the incident.

The investigation is ongoing.