WATCH: Woman makes a dramatic escape from a sinking car in Valencia

A FRIGHTENED woman managed to crawl out of her car window as the vehicle slowly disappeared underwater in a flooded street in Sagunto in eastern Valencia. A video of her escape has since been uploaded online and widely shared on news networks and social media. 

The incident occurred in the early afternoon of Monday November 28. The woman, named Zary Frias, drove into an underpass after failing to observe that the road had been diverted due to flooding caused by the recent torrential rains. 

When she first noticed the water, she assumed it was only a puddle and continued driving but soon found herself completely surrounded by water. She tried to reverse but the engine died and she found herself left with no option but to climb out the window and scramble onto the roof of her red BMW. There she stood as the car began to drift downstream. Eventually emergency workers waded out to help her and she made her way to safety perched on top of a firefighter’s shoulders.

Frias, 44, was later interviewed by a local newspaper and explained that she had been completely terrified.

“I didn’t know what to do,” she said. “People were screaming at me to stay on the car and others to swim for safety. But in the end I opted to wait until rescuers came.”

Despite Frias’ claims that the incident was distressing for her, many corners of the internet have demonstrated little sympathy. It didn’t take long before various memes began to pop up online, with one comparing her to the famous mermaid statue in Copenhagen and another one depicting her walking on water alongside Jesus Christ himself.