A horrifying video has emerged from China of a huge rat which fell from the ceiling onto a restaurant table surrounded by diners.

The security camera footage, which was captured in Shanghai on August 18, shows the diners suddenly getting up from the table and backing away.

A waitress can then be seen whisking away the table with the dead animal on it.

According to local reports, the 20-centimetre specimen dropped dead after eating poison.

The restaurant was closed while the owners conducted a thorough pest control operation, but it has since reopened.

++CLIENTS PLEASE NOTE: THIS VIDEO HAS BEEN LOOPED++

A horrifying video, from China, of a giant rat falling from the ceiling onto a serving table in a Chinese hotpot restaurant.

The CCTV footage, captured in Shanghai on August 18, shows several customers dining on a table suddenly standing up and moving away.

Then, a waitress pushes away a serving table with a dead rat on it immediately.

Because of the raticide, the 20-centimetre-long rat dropped from the ceiling when customer were eating in the restaurant.

After it closed for internal rectification, it opened again now.

++CLIENTS PLEASE NOTE: THIS VIDEO HAS BEEN LOOPED++