A bike race in China finished in chaos last week as two groups of riders found themselves heading towards the finish line from opposite directions, causing a huge head-on crash which led to 17 of them being taken to hospital.

The crash happened at the end of the fourth stage of the Colorful Yunnan Gryffindor International Cycling Race, now in its second year.

This Chinese video news report on the incident shows the crash and its aftermath from a number of angles. What seems to have happened is that the leading group, possibly through an error by marshals or the driver of the lead vehicle, deviated from the race route shortly before the finish line, reports China.org.cn.

They then came round a bend to approach the finish arch from the wrong direction – just as the second group was sprinting for the line, and with disastrous consequences.

Organisers have come under criticism on social media but have denied being at fault, adding that they will "co-operate with relevant bodies and tried their best in follow-up work."

More super dramatic cycling videos

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(okay, maybe that last one is more comedy than drama).