This is the incredible moment a rare mud volcano erupted in Malaysia.

The bizarre natural phenomenon stunned onlookers at the Lipad Mud Volcano located in the Tabin Wildlife Park, in Lahad Datu City, Sabah State, Sunday September 18.

Footage shows the sludge spewing from the ground and covering the surrounding grass.

Lawrence Chin, General Manager of Tabin Wildlife Holidays, said: 'There were tour guides and tourists on their way to bird watch and visit the woodland. Suddenly there was a loud bang and bubbles came out, it happened in about 10 minutes.'

Lawrence said the phenomenon was witnessed by about eight people including tourists and tour guides.

He said the mud spewing from the undgerground eruption was safe and not hot.

Tour guide Hamit Suban, 43, witnessed the incident at 10 am when he took several foreign tourists on a tour of the Tabin forest area.

He added: 'Our first program after breakfast was to visit the mud volcano area in the Tabin area, I invited a group of tourists from the United States to walk 700 meters to the location.'

The eruption occurred when they went up to the observation tower to see birds and other animals.

'We suddenly heard a loud bang before we discovered there was a mudflow in the area,' said the man who has been working as a tour guide since 2005 at Borneo Eco Tours Kinabatangan.

Hamit admitted that it was the first time he had seen this rare phenomenon firsthand.

The mud that comes out is believed to contain a high concentration of minerals which attracts animals to the area.

Hamit added: 'This eruption is not the first time this has happened. Previously it also happened in 2014 and 2019.'