At least 31 local farmers who had been stranded by overflow of the Yellow River, China's second longest, were saved Monday morning, with rescue work continuing in Xingyang City, central China's Henan Province.

According to the publicity department of the municipal Party committee of Xingyang, the overflow was reported at around 6:00 a.m. Monday, which trapped numerous local farmers who had been working and sleeping on the bottomland of Yellow River at Dingcun sections.

By 11:00 a.m., 31 people were rescued, but the exact number of the people still stranded remained unknown.

The situation was critical as the trapped were prone to be flushed away by the overflown river water, according to the publicity department.

Rescue work is continuing by press time.