This is the heartwarming moment five elephants were rescued after getting trapped in a disused gold mine full of water.

The family - four adults and one baby - were seen huddled together in the corned of the pit in Pekan, Malaysia, yesterday (August 20) morning.

Wildlife officials arrived and tried to coax the elephants to safety. When that failed they used a digger to smash one of the sides of the former mine so that a small slope could be made for the herd to walk up.

Officials spent six hours working to save the elephants. They then nervously walked over before ambling up the incline and disappearing back into the jungle.

The Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular Malaysia (Perhilitan) said they received the emergency call in the morning and rushed to the area.

Director Rozaidan Md Yasin said: ''Four officers who were checking the scene found that the elephants could not come out because of the muddy area.

"We had to ask for help from a nearby mining company to use their excavator to dig and make way for the elephant.''

''The rescue operation took six hours in total. It was completed at 6 pm and the elephants were healthy. They returned to the jungle.''