Woman drove car down staircase

A Chinese woman drove her car down a shopping mall staircase after following signs to the car park.

Xiang Zhen said she saw a parking sign with a direction arrow in the mall in Liuzhou, southern China's Guangxi Province.

But when she followed it, she found herself stuck halfway down a staircase that was clearly not designed for cars.

"I saw a sign overhead saying 'car park' so I drove under it, but the road instantly plummeted and became so bumpy," said Xiang.

Local trader, Xie Xiangrong, who has a stand under the stairs, said: "I heard a loud noise, and when I looked up, a car was driving down towards me.

"I ran for my life down the stairs with several other shoppers."

Xiang left her car on the stairs and called a local breakdown company to winch her car back onto solid ground.

The mall has admitted the sign should not have been there and is in talks with Xiang over compensation.