A family's peaceful game of mahjong was interrupted when a giant pile of snow caused the thin roof above them to break and collapse on top of them.

The incident was captured on surveillance footage inside the small family home in Jingzhou in Hubei, China, on Friday night, February 9.

In the video, the family was seen divided into two tables to play a game of mahjong after enjoying dinner together.

But their night came to an abrupt and painful end when the poorly constructed metal roof above them suddenly caved in with a loud bang, unable to bear the weight of the accumulated snow.

Snow began falling in, forcing them to scatter across the room and shield themselves from the falling pile that knocked over chairs and tables

Miraculously, everyone escaped unharmed.

One of the family members said: 'I never expected that beautiful snowflakes could cause such significant damage. Fortunately, everyone is fine.'