A hero diver lead a teenage girl to safety after holding her hand for two hours when she plunged into a huge dam.

The 15-year-old girl was trapped in the culvert of a dam in Minusinsk, central Russia, with fast-moving water swirling around her.

Emergency services say one rescuer - named Maxim Tarasyuk - stayed beside her holding her hand throughout the terrifying ordeal on June 27.

The Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation for Krasnoyarsk Krai said on June 28: ‘At 6:19 pm, we received a report of a 15-year-old girl who fell into the culvert of a dam in the district of Minusinsk.

‘Maxim Tarasyuk, commander of a separate post of the No.11 Fire and Rescue Unit of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations decided to dive underneath to provide assistance.

‘For more than two hours, the rescuer did not just hold the teenager by the hand, he supported the girl psychologically.

‘At the same time, 15 km upstream, locks on the Yenisei River were blocked and the rescue diving crew worked at the scene.

‘Employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and public utility companies promptly cleared the gateway of logs and debris as they interfered with the rescue operation.

‘With the help of a crane, a grate for filtering debris was lifted up and a protective screen was installed on the gateway where the girl was located to drain water.

‘At 8:37 pm, the girl was brought to the surface without any injuries and was handed over to doctors for a thorough examination.

‘Throughout the rescue operation, a psychologist from the Ministry of Emergency Situations worked with the teenager and her parents.'

‘In total, more than 30 people and 11 pieces of equipment were involved in the rescue operation.'