Mother and child take shopping centre escalator – but something TERRIFYING happens

Terrifying surveillance footage of the incident shows the pair calmly standing on the device before a shopping cart is thrown down the stairs.

The pair are knocked to the ground, falling face-first onto the stairs.

The mother was so badly struck she fainted.

Authorities are trying to track down a young man who rolled the cart into the family.

The mother, suamed Xu, is now seeking financial compensation from the mall in Harbin, capital of north-easte Heilongjiang Province, for the injuries both suffered during the incident.

But the mall is refusing to accept responsibility, claiming that the young man should be held fully accountable.

Xu, who was lucky to have survived the scare with her daughter, said: \"I fainted after being hit by the cart, and when I woke up my daughter"s face was covered in blood.\"

Harbin authorities are as yet uncertain whether the young man had intentionally pushed the cart down the escalator, or whether he had been misusing the device by wanting to reach the lower floors with the cart in hand.

Witnesses said the young shopper bolted right after causing the accident and police are currently in the process of hunting him down.