An office meeting at a bank in China today was interrupted by a python which fell through the ceiling all of sudden, according to Chinese media.

Staff fled for their lives after the large snake nearly hit one of the female workers, surveillance footage shows.

The shocking incident occurred when the bank clerks were having a regular meeting in the morning.

Staff have their regular meeting in the morning at a bank in China before the python falls

The large snake lands on the floor after falling from above as workers look at it in horror

Chinanews.com reported that the footage was filmed at a branch of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China in Nanning, Guangxi Province.

The surveillance footage, which is circulating on Chinese social media, shows the staff standing in two rows.

A snake suddenly dropped from above as the unsuspecting team listened to their supervisor speaking.

The workers escaped the room as quickly as possible, leaving the animal to slither on the wooden floor.

The bank staff called the police, said Chinanews.

Police officers arrived at the bank with workers from the Nanning Wild Animals and Plants Protection Station, who caught the snake.

Workers flee for their lives after the snake started to slither in the middle of the room

It remains unsure how the snake had got into the bank which remains open today

Experts said that the python weighed about five kilograms (11 pounds) and was a first-class protected animal in China.

The snake has been handed over to the local wildlife rescue and protection centre.

Chinanews said no one was injured during the incident, which took place before the bank opened.

The report, however, did not explain how the snake had got into the bank. The branch opens as usual today.

Nanning Evening News reported that another python also fell through the bank's ceiling around this time last year.

Staff from the branch declined to comment on the matter to MailOnline.