Mum and daughter sent crashing down escalator by trolley

A mother and daughter have been sent flying down an escalator after being hit from behind by a shopping trolley in China.

The woman was going down the escalator holding the hand of her young daughter when the trolley hit them from behind, causing them both to fall face first.

The mother was knocked out, while the girl's face was "covered in blood", CCTV News reports.

Miraculously, neither suffered lasting injuries.

It happened at the weekend in a supermarket in Harbin.

The supermarket is refusing to take responsibility, saying the incident was caused by "a young man" who pushed the trolley down the escalator and then ran off.

Police are analysing surveillance footage in the hope of finding the man.