‘Moon’ crashes to earth in China – before Super Typhoon Meranti arrives for Mid-Autumn Festival

Stunned Chinese motorists and motorcyclists were forced to take cover from the “moon” after it came crashing to earth – across a city’s highways.

The earth’s satellite – an inflatable version that had been tethered outside a shopping mall to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival – was blown away by strong winds hours before Super Typhoon Meranti struck the southeastern Chinese province of Fujian on Thursday morning.

Officials in the province issued the highest weather warning as Meranti’s arrival sparked strong winds and floods across the region.

But it came too late to save the runaway moon.

A few hours before Meranti made landfall, a video went viral on the mainland showing the moment the giant inflatable took flight.