This is the shocking moment a young man deliberately threw a firecracker down an underground septic tank in a Chinese residential complex, causing it to explode.
The huge blast sent a 110lb manhole cover flying some 10 feet into the air, according to Chinese media.
The heavily manhole nearly hit one of three men, who were playing with firecrackers, as it landed just one feet away from him.
The man squats down as he is about to put a firecracker into a septic tank in China
The underground system explodes after the firecracker lit up the gases in the tank
The firecracker lit the colourless gas methane in the septic system, which led to the explosion.
It's understood no one was injured by the incident, which happened in southern China's Hu Province on February 18, reported local Changsha Evening News.
The residential complex has 168 households that share one septic tank, management told a local reporter.
No injuries have been reported.
The young man, who remains unidentified, had ignited one of the tank's four access points.
The huge blast sent the dust and the manhole cover flying some 10 feet into the air
The explosion damaged the septic tank in a residential complex with 168 households
As stated by the report, the trio knew each other. They were visiting relatives during the Lunar New Year celebrations. The bored friends decided to have some fun by igniting biogas in the area's septic tank
CCTV footage circulating on Chinese social media shows them backing away after dropping the firework down the manhole, and seconds later the ground erupts in a cloud of dust and smoke.
It is unclear whether the teenagers received any punishment.
Authorities have warned against the dangerous game, especially during Chinese New Year holidays when young children often have access to fireworks.
Just last month a boy seriously injured himself after throwing a banger down a manhole and being launched some 10 feet into the air by the resulting blast.