This is the moment passengers struggle to breathe as several metro wagons fill up with smoke when a vehicle on the street below catches fire.

Footage shows commuters in on Metro Line 1 in Shanghai, China, coughing and nearly suffocating as the privately owned vehicle lit up on Thursday, December 14.

The vehicle, reportedly a small truck carrying home appliances, caught fire on the elevated Fenchuan Road outside of the Gongfu Xincun station at approximately 6:45 am, after which the smoke drifted into the station hall, platform, and nearby wagons.

Shanghai Metro later said in a statement: 'It is reported online that there is smoke in the carriage of Line 1.'

Smoke exhaust devices were activated in both the station and the wagons, whereas firefighters from the Baoshan District Fire Rescue Department joined their forces to evacuate the people to safety.

The station reinforced on-site announcements and passenger guidance to ensure safe passage for the affected passengers.

The fire in the private vehicle was successfully extinguished at 7:05am, said metro officials.

They stated that railway traffic was not affected during the operation, and added that nobody was injured in the incident.