This is the dramatic moment a terrified family run away from a cement mixer that plunged down a hill, killing its driver and crushing their home.

Newly-released CCTV footage shows the frightening moment they narrowly escape its path near a construction site in Zhaotong, in China's Yunnan Province at around 5:00am on August 11.

In the video, a man and a woman are seen running away from the fully-loaded mixer's deadly trail, followed by another man and his five-year-old son.

The father, named Mr Luo in local media, is seen desperately grabbing his little boy by the back of his T-shirt and dragging him to safety moments before the mixer crashes into their home and spills the runny concrete before the whole area is engulfed in a cloud of dust.

Four construction workers also managed to escape to safety, but according to Luo, the lorry's driver was not as lucky and lost his life in the incident.

Luo said his family's house was severely damaged and is now uninhabitable.

He added they are currently staying with his uncle while waiting for local authorities to address the situation.

Lou said: 'People are so fragile in the face of disasters.'