This is the heartwarming moment locals saved 12 puppies from a flooded ditch during a rainstorm.

Kindhearted residents retrieved hapless newborn dogs placed in the trench within a cassava plantation in Chonburi, Thailand.

Footage shows a man holding an umbrella, removing the soaking wet pooches between the rocks, and carefully putting them inside a blue container.

One of the villagers recalled that he set up a small shelter for the animals and regularly checked on them to make sure that they were safe.

He added: 'I noticed four more newborn puppies in a ditch, and I couldn't help them that time because I was busy with customers.

'The heavy rain suddenly poured down, and I heard the mother dog barking, so I rushed to the ditch and found them struggling through the rising waters. I am glad that they are all healthy and okay.'

The rescuers reportedly gave the puppies a warm bath to wash off the mud and began looking for someone to adopt them following the incident on March 13.

Thailand is often affected by tropical storms, particularly during the monsoon season from May to October. These storms typically form in the South China Sea or the Pacific Ocean and move westward, bringing heavy rain, strong winds, and flooding.

A tropical storm is a weather system with wind speeds ranging from 63 to 118 km/h (39 to 73 mph), forming over warm ocean waters. While less intense than a hurricane or typhoon, it can still cause significant damage.