A woman and two children were rescued by firefighters after their vehicle became surrounded by floodwaters, trapping them inside.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand said the trio were “fortunate to be safe” after the incident at Cust in North Canterbury.

A spokesperson said Fire and Emergency received a call from the “distraught” woman at 11.33am.

“It was reported they were stuck on a bridge over a culvert,” he said.

“The flood waters were preventing them from moving forward, and by the time they tried to turn back, the flood waters engulfed them.”

Firefighters from Cust and Rangiora rushed to the scene. Twenty minutes later, the group had been moved to safety.

The spokesman said the incident may have been resolved quickly, but was a “solemn” reminder of the dangers of rapidly rising floodwater.

“What looks like shallow and slow-moving water can become deep and dangerous in no time at all.”