This is the heroic moment a woman pulled stray puppies out of their flooded shelter as dozens of them became trapped by the rising waters and others were swept away amid a violent storm.

Ms. Yao recorded the devastated state of the shelter in Fuzhou, in south-eastern China's Fujian Province after the area was struck by a typhoon on September 6.

The Good Samaritan, who has been taking care of sick and stray dogs for the past four years, said she made sure to place the 66 pups in her shelter on higher ground.

But she did not expect that continuous heavy rain throughout the night would bring about severe flooding. The next morning, on September 7, she checked the shelter and was horrified to find it was filled with water nearly five feet above the ground.

Two puppies could be seen trying to stay on top of tall objects to avoid falling into the water and are heard squealing and barking as they find themselves trapped there.

Another one was crawling up a metal fence and wagging its tail at the sight of its saviour. The woman quickly picked up the black, soaked pup and carried it in her arm while wading through the elbow-deep water towards another rescuer standing further out.

She handed him the animal and then went back for another pup that was trying to swim towards her and she also carried it to safety.

Ms. Yao said: 'The water hadn't receded yet, and there were still several on top of the greenhouse. Dozens of the ones we rescued have nowhere to stay.

'Two that were rescued still haven't been found.'

Me. Yao added she is deeply heartbroken and has been crying all morning. The shelter's dog food and medicines were also completely submerged, and she said four years of hard work were lost in an instant. With the help of other rescuers, the dogs they saved were relocated to a safer spot.