Villagers rescue schoolgirls trapped in flash flood in Thailand

This is the dramatic moment three schoolgirls were rescued from a flash flood in Thailand.

The youngsters had been swimming in the Had Som Paen canal when mountain runoff suddenly swept into the channel at the Raksawarin Hot Springs and Public Park in Ranong province, Thailand, on September 22.

Tourists called volunteers while several residents plunged into the water to help the girls, who pulled themselves onto a boulder to escape the torrent.

Footage shows the rescue team using a water hose as a makeshift rope to drag the children back to the canal's banks.

One of the girls said she managed to swim back to dry land when the water level rose, but her friends were caught in the raging currents.

All three schoolgirls are safe. One suffered a minor injury scraping her leg against a rock during the rescue.

Thailand and neighbouring countries in Southeast Asia are in their annual monsoon rainy season which sees soaring temperatures followed by powerful rain storms in the afternoon leading to widespread flash floods.