Story By:  Ana Marjanovic, Sub-Editor: Michael Leidig, Agency:  Newsflash

This is the terrifying moment a shopping mall ceiling collapses after a burst pipe sent thousands of litres of water crashing through.

Shoppers at the mall in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, eastern China, can be heard screaming in panic as huge sections of the roof smash onto the floor.

Local reports say a water pipe in the ceiling burst and a deluge of dirty water was sent cascading onto the lobby floor on 3rd June.

After online claims that a sewer pipe burst, the shopping centre stated that a water pipe in the air-conditioning unit had ruptured.

In the video, onlookers are seen filming with their phones as dirty, brown water starts seeping through the ceiling.

However, when the ceiling suddenly gives way the frightened shoppers run away to a safe distance.

In other footage, a whole section of the ceiling is seen ripped open as a river of dirty water flows towards the entrance.

The shopping centre said a repair company arrived on the scene and worked overnight to replace the pipe.

The mall reopened the next day and normal service resumed.

Nobody is understood to have been hurt in the drama.