A dramatic rescue of a woman and her toddler from an icy river in Amsterdam has been captured on video.

Four people dived into the river to help as a white car slowly sank into the river with mother and child trapped inside last week, reports said.

She is believed to have parked near the Schinkel River in the Dutch city, and the car slid forward with the toddler inside.

The mother then tried to stop the car, but it plunged into the water. The men first tried to break the car windows with rocks.

An office worker who saw what was happening then grabbed a hammer and jumped in to help, the Huffington Post reported quoting a Dutch video report.

The mother and toddler were saved just before the car sank completely into the water.

They are said to be recovering well, while the rescuers have been hailed as heroes, BBC said.