HANGZHOU - Computer misuse has been blamed for a pornographic video that played on an LED screen at a busy shopping mall in east China on Wednesday morning, local police said.

The public security bureau of Lishui City, Zhejiang Province, said the video was shown for about 9 minutes at the downtown Wandi Plaza. Video recordings taken at the scene went viral on social media.

Police said a shopping mall worker watched the pornographic video on the computer used for playing advertisements on the LED screen, which led to its accidental showing in the plaza.

Police have asked locals and Internet users not to spread video of the incident, which risks breaking laws banning the circulation of obscene content. Local authorities on Wednesday launched a campaign to inspect public screens and cleanse the Internet.

Investigation of the case is ongoing.