This is the dramatic moment white-water rafters were caught in a mass pileup on a river in China.

Shocking footage shows the holidaymakers in life vests colliding in their rubber boats as they hit the curved edge of strong rapids in Chongqing.

One of the dinghies even overturned, flinging two individuals into the fast-flowing river on August 3.

Tour guides and lifeguards on standby quickly rescued one of them, but the other was swept downstream along with the vessel.

A lifeguard spotted the woman's feet paddling at the surface as she struggled to escape from under the overturned boat.

He climbed over a passing dinghy and quickly lifted the vessel while pulling the stranded tourist from the water.

The lifeguard then cleared the unoccupied rafts from the path and placed them on the riverbank, while the visibly shaken woman sat nearby, catching her breath.

Onlookers said the vacationer did not sustain any injuries from the incident.

While fatalities from rafting are generally rare, with global estimates ranging between two and three deaths per 100,000 participant-days, serious accidents have happened in China.

In 2016, eight tourists were killed and ten were injured when a sudden surge from heavy downpours at Fenghuangxia in Guangdong affected white-water rafting activities. The torrential waters rushed down the canyon, sweeping away rafts and tourists without warning