Hero men save two girls washed away by river during storms in the Philippines

Hero men save two girls washed away by river during storms in the Philippines

This is the heart-stopping moment locals jumped into a raging water to rescue two little girls swept away in flash floods.

Footage shows wading through the torrents to save the girls in Davao City, the Philippines on August 7.

Leo Mart Gallardo Balicog said that the youngsters fell when they crossed a bamboo bridge during a storm.

He said: "I was driving a motorcycle to work when I noticed that the bridge had collapsed and the men were running.

"I went to help them when I saw that they were chasing the two children swept away by the strong current." Leo's neighbour, Cesar Pampangan, rushed to grab the girls one by one while their mother shouted and cried for help.

Several men jumped into the muddy brown water which which was flowing quickly due to recent heavy rain.

The two girls were saved and returned to their parents who were grateful to the men for saving their lives.

Leo added: ''They are heroes.

They risked their own lives to save other people.'' Parts of Visayas and Mindanao, experienced heavy rain last week when a low-pressure area (LPA) from China approached the city.

Southeast Asia is currently at the peak of its annual monsoon rainy season, with regular rainstorms battering countries causing floods.