Balasore: A schoolteacher swam to safety while his driver remained trapped inside a car for nearly two hours after the vehicle was swept away by a sudden surge of floodwater from Deo river near Naharapada village under Udala police station limits in Mayurbhanj district on Friday. The incident took place when Ratikanta Kadhei, a teacher of Naharapada primary school, and his driver, Dushmanta Desari, were travelling from Udala to Naharapada.According to sources, water was flowing across the road near the village when the car attempted to cross it. The water level suddenly rose, and a powerful current swept the vehicle nearly 15 to 20 metres away from the road.As the car was carried away, the driver rolled down the windows, anticipating danger. Kadhei managed to get out of the car and swim to the village. He alerted villagers and sought their help to rescue the driver, who was trapped inside the vehicle.Around 15 to 20 villagers rushed to the spot and launched a rescue operation. They managed to rescue Desari from the submerged car and pull the vehicle out of the floodwaters. “A person came to our village and informed us that our schoolteacher, Ratikanta Kadhei, had swam to safety and that the car was trapped in the floodwater. We rushed to the spot, rescued the driver and pulled the car to a safer place,” said Anjan Kumar Khadei, a villager.