This is the toxic-looking cloud of yellow smoke that appeared on the side of a Chinese mountain after a satellite fell from the sky and exploded.

The footage was recorded by a local family who said they heard three loud bangs as the object descended from the sky before hitting the wooded forest in Baise, Guangxi on May 9.

The was full of smoke and dust followed by a noxious-smelling yellow gas that plumed into the sky.

They said that the impact was so extreme that the windows had shaken with locals saying it was fortunate that the device had not landed in built-up area.

This event evoked memories of a similar occurrence in Baise, Guangxi, in 2023, when an unknown object fell at high speed in Tianlin County.

Investigations revealed that the fallen object was rocket debris, similar to previous incidents in the region, such as one in Longlin County in December 2022.

Locals said that if this turned out to be another rocket, or even a satellite, the frequency of such occurrences locally meant that they should consider installing an air defence system.

They said they were worried that one of the objects might eventually hit a town or village.