Disturbing footage has emerged of a distressed woman trapped by a crowd of men and allegedly being sexually assaulted during New Year's Eve celebrations in Egypt.

Authorities are investigating after the video, filmed in Mansoura, about 75 miles northeast of Cairo, was widely shared on social media platforms and enraged people online.

The disturbing footage shows the woman screaming as she is surrounded by a large crowd of men.

Disturbing footage has emerged of a distressed woman trapped by a crowd of men and allegedly being sexually assaulted during New Year's Eve celebrations in Egypt

The victim attempts to force her way into a nearby car as the men grab at her and appear to pull her back.

At one point a few of the men even stand on the roof of the car.

Some of the men appear as though they are trying to help her get into the vehicle.

She eventually manages to get into the car amid the chaos, where a driver is already waiting.

Her top appears to have been pulled down in the incident.

The incident has shone a spotlight on the sexual harassment endured by women in Egypt.

On Twitter, people drew attention to the fact that sex mob attacks have occurred before in the country and called for stricter legislation to protect women and combat sexual harassment.

The victim attempts to force her way into a nearby car as the men grab at her and appear to pull her back

'This is a result of the absence of law in Egypt,' one Twitter user wrote in Arabic.

Another outraged user wrote: 'They are animals, I swear they have no morals. They only think of women as tools of pleasure and seduction. If these animals saw a foreign woman they won't approach her regardless of what she could be wearing, because they know there will be harsh repercussions.

'Unfortunately, they know nobody cares about an Egyptian woman and that she'll be blamed at the end of the day.'

In Egypt, unwanted sexual contact is punished with a minimum of one year in prison and a fine, although there is speculation about how well the laws are enforced.