A paddler holds onto a rope thrown to him by rescuers to pull him out of high tide in Weihe River in Shaanxi Province in northwest China on Tuesday, October 28, 2008. [Photo: hsw.cn]

Three young paddlers who tried to cross Weihe River in Shaanxi Province on foot have been rescued after a passerby found them stranded in the middle of the river and called the police for help.

Local newspaper Chinese Business View reported on Tuesday that the three paddlers, all 17 years of age, were temporary residents in Xianyang City. The trio attempted to cross Weihe River, but found themselves trapped in the rising tide in the middle of the river.

They then climbed onto a large cement structure nearby and tried to use their mobile phones to call for help. But since they had been drenched in water, the handsets failed to work.

They resorted to shouting for help, and managed to attract the attention of the passerby after more than one hour.

The passerby, surnamed Guo, alerted the authorities following which fire fighters used a rope to pull the trapped people out of the river.