Louisiana flooding: 'Oh my god, I'm drowning' – the moment woman and her dog are saved from inside sinking car

A rescuer pulls the woman out by her arms seconds before the car becomes completely submerged under water

A woman and her dog have been rescued from a sinking car in Louisiana after the vehicle became submerged in flood water.

Footage released by a local news channel shows rescuers on an emergency boat attempting to break the window of the car with a pole as the woman shouts from inside.

At one point the woman can be heard saying: "Oh my God, I'm drowning."

After failing to break the window one of the rescuers jumps into the water and pulls the woman out by her arms moments before the car becomes completely submerged under water.

As soon as she is above the water's surface the woman exclaims: "Get my dog", before offering to try save him herself.

Several seconds later the man, named locally David Phung, appears from below the surface with a small white dog.

The woman is passed a life jacket by a member of the emergency crew and both swim towards the boat.

At least three people have died and thousands have had to be rescued after “historic” flooding swamped the US state of Louisiana since 12 August.

Searches are continuing for missing people and Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards said the state was "still in response mode."

Louisiana suffered a similar crisis in March, when at least 20,000 people were forced to leave their homes due to severe flooding.