A driver and her two passengers astonished rescuers when they survived after plunging 40ft off an unfinished bridge workers had forgotten to seal off from traffic.

The bridge - in Fuzhou, Fujian province, southern China - ended in mid-air, but had no safety barriers or even warning signs to keep motorists back.

Eye witnesses were amazed when driver Wang Lu and her two female passengers staggered away from the mangled Nissan Sunny saloon with barely a scratch.

One - Chen Hen - explained: "I kept thinking the car would stop but it sailed straight off the edge. They were very lucky to get out alive."