Locals were battling to save fish from a river running dangerously low after weeks of dry weather in northern Thailand on December 24.

The Ping River in Chiang Mai province has been affected by severe drought causing the river bed to be exposed in some places.

Concerned residents gathered to catch the giant catfish from the shallow river amid fears they could die from intoxication.

Uthit Guna, 55, said each year there are around 2,000 catfish in the river which are caught and sold.

She said: "We fill the river with around 2,000 catfish every year and let them grow until they are big, then we catch and sell them in the market.

"However, the authorities decided to let less water down from the reservoir and they have started to die because of the lack of water.

"We need to catch our fish earlier than usual to prevent them from dying from intoxication.''