This is the moment a rat hopping around in a subway car prompts petrified passengers to put their legs up to avoid contact.

The rodent stunned travellers when it emerged out of nowhere on the metro in the city of Nanjing, in Jiangsu Province, eastern China, on Wednesday, December 6.

As the rat joyfully ran around the cart, disgusted passengers could be heard letting out small cries for help.

One young woman even put her legs up in order not to touch it.

Nanjing Metro authorities revealed they several people have reported the incident, some of whom suspected that the rodent had escaped a lab before it ended up on the subway.

They claimed they hired a professional rodent control team to investigate how the rat found itself in the car, and said that the cars would be disinfected.

They added: 'We are investigating and verifying. If it is true, the cart will be disinfected. We don't know how it got there, but rats are not allowed on the subway, and this rat is not a lab rat.'