Hero passers-by rescued an injured puppy stuck in a hole under a road in Thailand.

The students were walking along the pavement near their campus in Nakhon Si Thammarat province on June 28 when they heard the baby dog's cries coming from under the walkway.

They looked through a small gap in the concrete and found the hapless creature, which was about three months old, stuck inside. It was caught in a tangle of vines while its hind leg was pierced by a fish hook.

Nong May, one schoolgirls, said: 'We were walking along the sidewalk and suddenly heard the puppy crying, so we decided to stop and check.

‘At first, we didn't notice it had been stabbed by the fish hook. But after we got rid of the vines around it, we saw the fish hook piercing its hind leg so we decided to call the rescuers to ask for help.'

The rescue team later arrived but had trouble catching the terrified pooch that hid further inside the hole. They tried dragging it out, but its mother became aggressive and began barking at them.

After some more coaxing, the timid pup finally crept out of its burrow. However, out of shock, it bit and injured a rescuer trying to grab it before escaping into the undergrowth.

The team had to leave as night had fallen, but asked the students to call them once the pup shows itself again.