This is the terrifying moment fishermen flee from a powerful tidal bore, dubbed the Silver Dragon, as it sweeps through a river while they sit on the bank.

The footage, filmed at the Qiantang River in Zhejiang, eastern China, shows the massive wave rushing down the waterway before the anglers realise what's happening on November 3.

They only begin to move when a passerby shouts, 'Run!' and they scramble to escape the fast-moving water.

One fisherman abandons his tackle and springs inland as fast as he can.

But the other stops to gather his gear, which is engulfed by the water and swept away as the footage ends.

It remains unclear whether the second angler escaped unhurt.

The Qiantang River is notorious for its powerful tidal bore, caused by a combination of the Earth's rotation and the funnel shape of Hangzhou Bay.

In another incident, a quick-thinking man hastily climbs a tree as floodwaters rush towards him after the river bursts its bank.

He initially believed it was a small tidal wave but quickly realised it was, in fact, a flood.