This is the terrifying moment a schoolboy lights up and throws a firecracker down a sewer prompting a massive blast that sends the manhole lid flying into the air.

Surveillance camera footage from the incident shows the boy approaching the manhole along with a schoolmate in the city of Baise in Guangxi, China, at around 5:30 pm on January 8.

The two boys can then be seen standing over the manhole, when one of them bent down and threw the explosive inside, as the other covered his ears.

But neither of the boys anticipated that the mischievous act would take a dangerous turn, when just several seconds later, the manhole lid catapulted from the ground.

The boy who triggered the explosion was also thrown several feet away due to the impact, after he did not manage to run away in time.

A little girl standing near him was also struck by the lid. Another girl remained uninjured.