This is the heartwarming moment a heroic 64-year-old pensioner rescued a girl struggling in a river.

The elderly man named Wu Qing was seen retrieving a drowning schoolgirl who accidentally fell into the water in Liaocheng, Shandong Province, China, on April 13.

Footage shows Wu diving into the water to drag the teenager to safety.

Onlookers standing on the bridge dropped a cardboard box on the water to help locate the child, who at that time had only her hair floating on the surface.

Wu immediately swam over, lifting the girl back to the shore.

With the help of kind-hearted people and the elderly man, the girl coughed up a few mouthfuls of water and eased up.

The student is now being taken care of and did not sustain major injuries from the incident.

Witness Mr Hu said the pensioner was praised for his selfless bravery. He modestly declined a reward from the girl's family and said he was simply being a good citizen.