A 6-year-old boy has been killed by a falling metal locker outside a fruit market in Ankang, Shannxi province.

The accident on Monday also left his mother with serious injuries.

Police are working with the victim's family and the supermarket.

According to the boy's father surnamed Hu, who has watched supermarket footage of the incident, the tragedy occurred just after 7pm when his wife removed her bag from the locker. The heavy locker then fell on them, crushing the boy and his mother's legs.

People passing the market quickly pulled the cabinet off them and found the boy.

The victims were taken to hospital, but the boy died from his injuries after two hours of emergency treatment.

"The right leg of my wife was broken and she is still receiving treatment in hospital," said Hu who works out of town as a migrant worker and was not living with his wife and son at the time.

The 2-meter-high locker was mounted on a step outside the market for customers to store their bags before they enter the market.

A local resident said that the newly-opened market used pieces of wood to keep the cabinet in place as the surface of the step had a slight incline.

The market has been closed for investigation.

Market manager surnamed Yang said that he and his colleagues felt extremely sad for the victims and would do their best to comfort the victims' family.

"We have paid the treatment cost for the victims and hope to consult with the victims' family to reach an outcome," Yang said.

Police obtained the video monitoring record for investigation and arranged discussions between the two sides.