Officials were forced to close a trail after heavy rain caused a river to swell beside a narrow single-file cliff passage.

Hikers became stranded, waiting more than five hours in a queue for a brief two-minute scramble through a tight mountain crevice at the Taihang Mountains in Shanxi, China.

Footage shows mountaineers, including children, lined up along the One Line Sky stretch near Yitiantian Canyon on July 26.

They can be seen carefully inching across a narrow ledge, gripping chains bolted into the rock wall as they pass through a stone corridor high above the valley floor.

The flooding prompted the Gujiao Township government to issue a warning notice two days later, alerting holidaymakers to flood risks and temporarily closing several hiking routes.

Mr Yang, a hiking enthusiast who joined the trek with friends, said they arrived at the queue around 11 am and were still waiting five hours later.

'Some hikers appeared to be first-timers or part of group tours, wearing shoes with poor grip, and many slipped along the way.

'The canyon offers two possible crossings: one route descends to the valley floor via chains, while the other uses iron rods hammered into the rock.'

On July 24, the river current reportedly rose and obscured the lower path, forcing most hikers to use the upper ledge amid a heavy downpour.

Authorities later announced the trail closure was due to slippery surfaces, potential rockfalls, and flood damage to infrastructure such as footpaths and guardrails.

They confirmed that the One Line Sky route will remain closed until conditions improve.