A curious lamb had to be rescued after it was stuck hanging from a powerline by its horns as it was being transported on the open back of a tall lorry.

Shocking footage shows the lamb swinging back and forth in mid-air above a street in Ili in the Xinjiang autonomous territory, north-western China, on March 4.

Two men were seen climbing up the back of the trailer to help the animal down after its horns were entangled in the wire as the driver passed underneath.

Other sheep were seen standing in the open trailer as the rescue unfolded, barely having dodged a similar fate due to the lorry's height and the lack of an overhead cover.

The driver, not identified in local media, later said: 'The lamb was probably caught when lifting its head.

'It's the first time I've seen something like this, and other people were just watching and laughing.'