Scary in-car camera footage of sinking car

Terrifying in-car camera footage has revealed how a driver and co-driver scrambled from their battered car as it quickly filled with murky water after they crashed into a lake during the Rally Mexico.

The in-car camera footage from Ott Tanak’s and Raigo Modler’s M-Sport car was released by the WRC after being recovered from the vehicle that remained submerged for 10 hours.

The footage from the third stage shows Tanak lose control around a corner with the car careening off the road before rolling and landing upright in the lake.

Tanak and co-driver Modler frantically escape the car moments before it takes just seconds to fill with water.

Footage released from trackside showed the Estonian pair swim to safety after escaping the car.

In a statement by the team following the crash, Tanak said he was lucky to survive the near disaster.

“Luckily the car landed on its wheels but the water was so deep that the car sank really fast," the 27-year-old said. "As soon as we opened the doors the car was gone in just a few seconds.

"I also had a problem with my intercom wire because it didn’t come loose and was dragging me under the water. We were really lucky. It was not a nice moment to have”.

The M-Sport team were unable to get the car back on the road because of electrical failure after it was recovered.

“Obviously we had some issues this morning and we tried for a long time on the road section to fix it. The car was generally running, but not perfectly, and we want it to be perfect for the stages so as not to cause any more damage,” said Tanak.

“At this stage we think it’s something to do with one of the sensors. She’s drying out now, and if it can be fixed, I have no doubt that these boys will fix it.”