Inflatable turtle used to rescue Chinese people trapped by deadly floods

An inflatable turtle came to the rescue in China on Sunday (2 July) when police deployed it to help rescue 13 people trapped in floodwaters in Hunan province.

South-eastern China has been struck by almost 50cm (19in) of rainwater in the last five days causing at least 56 deaths.

That figure might have been higher if it were not for the handy inflatable, which police in the city of Liuyang found while evacuating residents from a flooded neighbourhood.

"It was an emergency," read a statement on social media from the local authority. "There weren't any boats available, so we had to improvise."

One image shows a mother and a child being carried to safety on the green raft while another shows a man being kept above water by the 6ft critter.

In both cases, two police officers steered the raft while standing in the chest-high waters.

Local police said in a statement: "Sorry for our vessel being ... too cute. But, most importantly, the people are all safe," according to The South China Morning Post.

More than 60 rivers in southern China have risen above above warning levels as a result of the torrential downpour. The level of the Xiangjiang river, a main tributary of the Yangtze River, surpassed the previous records set in a massive flood in 1998.