Students at the University of Canterbury had their study session rudely interrupted when a wall of water crashed through the ceiling.
Brodie Walker, 22, was in a lab room in the Erskine Building at around 4pm on Wednesday when he noticed water leaking through the ceiling.
"As we got up to have a look at it, [my friend] said maybe we should get out of the way," he told Newshub.
Around 10 seconds later, Mr Walker heard a "large crack" before a large part of the ceiling gave way, bringing down wooden panels and metal with it.
"There was a guy who had been right underneath it but he thought to move out of the way," Mr Walker said.
"If he hadn't it could have been a lot worse... especially with the metal. It was a little bit of water and suddenly it really ramped up."
Mr Walker says the entire first floor is now flooded, and security moved them from the building.
"We thought maybe it was a pipe leading to the bathroom but it was crystal clear water... so we're not sure what happened."
A university spokesperson says a "plumbing failure" caused the incident.
"Students and staff were evacuated from the area and power has been turned off," the spokesperson said.
Containment and removal of the water is now underway, but the two flooded computer rooms could be unavailable "for weeks".
The rest of the building was unaffected.
Newshub.
