This is the heartwarming moment villagers fished out a helpless stray puppy stuck in a storm drain in Thailand.

Rescuers pried open the concrete cover to search for the dog after it had fallen through a crack in the pavement in the Ban Bueng District of Chonburi province on October 13.

A volunteer managed to find the pooch but it retreated further into the dark space out of fear.

Not to be deterred, the man climbed into the filthy drain and successfully grabbed the tiny black baby animal that was drenched in muck within 10 minutes.

The puppy - which was named 'Boon-rod' or 'lucky' in the local language - was later returned to its mum nearby.

Volunteer Artorn Duangmuen, 50, said: 'There was a hole on the lid about three to five inches wide. The dog likely didn't see the cracked cover and slipped.'