Woman swept away as rainwater crashes into China shopping mall

One moment, she was walking in a shopping mall's atrium. In the next, the woman was swept away by a torrent of rainwater that came crashing down from above.

The impact shattered glass barriers and sent her sliding metres away on the corridor of a mall in Guangdong, China.

Another shopper was rendered immobile on the floor after he was knocked down by the rainwater. Stunned by the sudden turn of events, his wife broke down in tears.

Passerbys rushed to their aid, gathering dry cloths from nearby stores to keep the injured warm while they waited for an ambulance to arrive.

The terrifying ceiling collapse, which took place on Sunday (Aug 25) evening, was captured on surveillance cameras.

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It is believed that the canvas roof had given way under the weight of rainwater that had collected there.

Coastal city Guangdong was hit by Typhoon Bailu that weekend after China's National Meteorological Centre issued a yellow alert and warned of rainstorms.

Two injured shoppers were taken to hospital and discharged on the same day.

When reporters visited the scene, the affected area had been cordoned off with a signboard requesting shoppers to make a detour. Photos taken of the scene showed that the canvas roof had a large tear in it. 

The mall's building management conducted a thorough examination of its premises following the incident. A spokesman told Chinese media that the building management conducted safety reviews every six months and that it had alerted tenants of the typhoon before it swept the province.

Weibo users who watched the clip expressed their shock at how far the woman was swept away by the rainwater and raised questions about the design of the roof.

Local authorities are now investigating the cause of the incident.

lamminlee@asiaone.com