This is the moment a man is hit by a roof while trying desperately to stop it from breaking free during typhoon force winds.

The incident happened on the roof of an apartment in Shanghai when the man scrambled onto the roof in a desperate bid to try and stop it from blowing away.

The man had realised that the roof was not properly secured but had underestimated the force of the winds when he scrabbled up there also under the beating rain.

The heart-stopping footage shows the roof breaking away even more and smashing down towards the man, who tries desperately to get away before being hit on the head and for a second looking as if he’s been knocked unconscious.

But he comes to as he slides down the roof, and was then able to edge his way to the bottom of the roof panels where he then even took a second to clear some tiles from the guttering which he throws to the ground before then continuing to edge his way to safety.

Ironically several people are seen watching the bad weather from below, unaware of the drama that is going on in the roof above their heads.

It is believed that the man was not seriously hurt in the incident.

The footage was shared by local officials with a reminder not to take unnecessary risks during the bad weather.