A stranded family were rescued when the river they were bathing in suddenly swelled during a picnic.

The tourists were enjoying their trip to the Palakol River in Pampanga, the Philippines, when the raging torrents from recent heavy rain rushed towards their wooden huts and rapidly submerged the riverbed on June 19.

Footage shows a trapped family cowering under a bridge pier as they waited for the flood to subside. When a child was swept away by the deluge, other brave tourists plunged into the water to rescue him.

Several wooden huts along the banks were also washed away.

Local volunteers, firefighters, and disaster response officers later arrived and evacuated the family from the river using safety ropes.

Edmar Gallano Suelan Jr., a tourist who also visited the river, said: 'My friends and I noticed the water rising and changing in colour. It took only a few minutes for the currents to intensify.

'There were several people trapped in the middle of the river, an entire family. We saw there were three children, a man, and a woman. The parents couldn't escape in time because they had their kids with them.'

Flordeliza Gozun, chairman of Barangay San Jose where the tourist attraction is located, said: 'The family weren't listening to the warnings because the water was still shallow where they were standing. But when the large volume of water came, they were trapped.'

Authorities said Palakol River - popular for its idyllic view of the surrounding mountains - will be temporarily closed to the public during the rainy season.

Flordeliza said: 'It's very dangerous. It doesn't rain here in the town of Floridablanca, but it does up in the mountains, which is why the river swells so quickly.'

The area will be re-opened after the rainy season, officials said.

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