What a stink! Shoppers covered in human waste after septic tank explodes in crowded city centre

An overfilled septic tank on a truck has left shop owners and pedestrians dripping in human excrement after it exploded in Chinese city, Hechi.

The graphic scene was photographed by onlookers who saw angered shoppers hit by the foul brown liquid.

A police spokesman said that no-one at the scene suffered any physical harm, but many had sought medical attention for fear of chemicals or diseases mixed in with the sludge.

Eye witness Dong Tang told local television saw a group of people congregating on the side of the road and initially thought there had been a car accident.

He said: ‘I wasn't really paying attention, but then the smell hit me. It was disgusting. And then I realised that a tank filled with some disgusting brown liquid had exploded, scattering it all over the street and the people who were shopping or walking past.

‘At one of the shops, just about every item on display was covered in brown liquid. The shopkeeper was highly agitated. He complained that everything was ruined and said he needed to shut the business for a week to clean up the mess.’

A spokesperson for the company that handles the collection and storage of waste from Hechi’s sewerage system said that the explosion occurred as a result of a technical fault on the vehicle.

The lorry manufacturer has told local that this type of explosion occurs from poor maintenance and failure to follow proper operating instructions.