This is the dramatic moment a police officer rescued a woman who was drowning in a frozen lake in northwest China.

Officer Chen Geng responded to the scene at Xianyang Lake in Shaanxi province, where a local had plunged into the frigid water when she walked over the fragile ice cover on December 22.

Footage shows Chen Geng sliding on a board toward the distressed resident, who was numb from the icy water, in the middle of a lake.

With the help of Yan Ming, a Lake Management Office staff member, Chen dragged the immobile lady across the ice and toward the bank.

The woman was rushed to a hospital and was reported to be in a stable condition.

Chinese media reported temperatures plunged to -10 degrees Celsius that day.