This is the shocking moment a forklift overturned and buried a teenage shopper under a mountain of heavy boxes in Brazil.

The woman, 19, was browsing the shelves when the machine carrying a shipment of condensed milk fell over at the Via Atacadista store in Rio Grande do Sul state, on March 9.

Dramatic CCTV footage shows an employee trying to manoeuvre the forklift shortly before it tipped over, sending condensed milk crashing down onto the unsuspecting customer.

The panicked employee was seen clutching his head in horror before rushing to dig the injured shopper out from beneath the debris. Shoppers and staff quickly joined the rescue effort.

Emergency services soon arrived at the scene to rush the woman to a hospital, where she underwent pelvic surgery. Local media reported on Tuesday that she was in a stable condition.

In a statement, the Via Atacadista supermarket said: 'Via Atacadista confirms the occurrence of an incident at its Canoas store last Sunday.

'The company regrets the incident and guarantees that its team acted promptly, providing immediate assistance and accompanying the person involved for the necessary medical care.

'Furthermore, Via Atacadista vows to prioritise the safety and well-being of employees and customers, in order to strictly comply with technical standards.

'The company is investigating the case and promises that measures to correct any failures will be taken as soon as possible.'

The Civil Police said investigations were underway to determine if there was employee negligence involved.