This is the dramatic moment a huge school of fish leapt out of the water in a frenzy, sparking fears of an impending natural disaster.

Bizarre footage shows dozens of fish jumping into the air, with some landing on the bank next to the pond and struggling to return to the water.

Some locals expressed concern that the unusual behaviour might be a sign of an approaching catastrophe.

One said: 'This means that there is going to be an earthquake.'

Another resident added: 'Will there be a tsunami in China? Animals can sense when something's coming, and it must be something big.'

However, officials from the Jingmen Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment later reassured the public that the phenomenon was caused by stormwater from recent rainfall, which had rushed into the reservoir through culverts along a nearby road.

This sudden influx of water prompted the fish to swim against a stronger current.

The increased flow caused their gill filaments to expand, prompting them to leap from the water to absorb more oxygen.

An on-site investigation confirmed that the water was not polluted and that the event was a natural physiological response by the fish in Jingmen, Hubei Province, China, on June 26.