Boy is thrown head-over-heels when sewer EXPLODES under his feet after he sticks a match down a manhole
by Tracy You For Mailonline- The child was propelled to spin 360 degrees in midair by the explosion in China
- He had inserted a lit match through a manhole cover, igniting trapped methane
- He walked away from the scene by himself after smashing down to the ground
- The accident occurred on November 29 in a residential complex in Zhuozhou
A boy in China has escaped serious injuries after being blown into the air and flung 360 degrees by the force of an exploding sewer.
The blast took place after the child threw a lit match into a manhole, igniting trapped methane, according to reports.
The boy, who remains unidentified, didn't suffer major injuries.
The accident occurred on November 29 in a residential complex in Zhuozhou, a prefecture-level city in northern China's Hebei Province, reported Zhuozhou Media Convergence.
Surveillance footage released by the local news group shows the boy walking towards the manhole with a playmate.
It then shows him crouching down and sticking an object into the metal cover.
But as soon as he stands upright, he is launched into the air by the force of an explosion under his feet.
The blast is so powerful the boy is propelled to spin 360 degrees in midair and then lands on the ground hard.
The manhole cover, which was catapulted into the air, smashes onto the pavement a few metres away from the two children.
The clip then captures the boy struggling to stand up.
He is seen limping for a few steps before having to sit down by the pavement to rest further.
He eventually walks away from the scene by himself.
An eyewitness told Zhuozhou Media Convergence that the manhole cover was largely destroyed in the explosion and the boy's face was hit by loose stones and sustained bleeding.
Another local resident said he could hear the blast well from his home, which was nine storeys up.
Similar accidents are common in China during winter, especially in the leading up to the Chinese New Year.
In January this year, a young boy in Chifeng City in China's Inner Mongolia cheated death after putting lit fireworks through a manhole cover on a street, leading to a huge blast.