It’s been a difficult few days for China as parts of the country have been hit by the worst flooding in decades.
The Sichuan province has activated its highest level of emergency response after weeks of heavy rain have caused record high water levels – and it looks unlikely to stop anytime soon.
It’s the worst flooding in 70 years and more than 100,000 people have had to be evacuated or moved to safety.
But in the city of Chengdu, it was not only humans which had to be rescued from the flooding – but animals too.
Footage shows the heartwarming moment firefighters managed to save more than 20 pet dogs who were trapped amid the heavy rainfall.
The video shared online shows emergency services at the pet home in Sansheng Township, where water had reportedly reached up to the second floor of the building.
The firefighters can be seen wading through the water carrying the dogs to safety.
One man even uses a green wheelie bin to transport one of the dogs across the water while other people in the building are seen being evacuated.
A caption on one of the pictures, when translated, roughly reads in English: ‘Dog: Do I look like a heavy baby?’
During the operation, which took more than six hours, firemen were able to free the trapped dogs by transferring them to rubber dinghies.
The pets looked very happy to be rescued.
A giant statue of Buddha near Chengdu has also had its toes dampened by the floodwater for the first time since the 1940s.
Rumour has it that traditional local legend says if Buddha’s feet get wet, the city of Chengdu will flood, which has a population of 16 million people.
The statue, which is a Unesco heritage site, was carved out of a rockface around the 8th century and is 71 metres tall.
It is a popular attraction and 180 tourists had to be rescued from the floodwater at the site.
Flood and landslide warnings remain in place around the provinces by rivers in China, including the Yangtze, Yellow, Hai, Songhua and Liao.
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