A group of people have been rescued after becoming trapped in their vehicles on the Waimakariri River in Canterbury.
Police have told 1 NEWS that they received a call at 4:00pm that two cars are stuck in the river in Kaiapoi with multiple people on the roof of each car.
It appears they became trapped while four wheel driving on the rocks of the river when the tide rose suddenly, engulfing their vehicles.
"I was walking dogs down the river, next minute we were damn near drowning so jumped on top of the truck, pretty freaky," Jason Matthew told 1 NEWS.
"It went from being dry on the ground to up to my waist."
Another victim, Georgia Brook, says there was no water at all, and in three to five minutes there was water up to her shoulders.
Kayla Gee said she is: "Just glad that we got out without any damage and thankful for the people who saved us".
Police and Fire crews attended the scene.
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