This is the dramatic moment that the roof of a new skating rink collapsed onto children as they trained for ice hockey.

Events unfolded in Námestovo, Slovakia, after a heavy snow fall that the recently-opened building could not support.

At the time of the incident, the young hockey players were being taught by former Florida Panthers right wing, Richard Zednik.

He and the children managed to get off the rink in time as the roof slowly bulges downwards before crashing down onto the ice.

In a bizarre stroke of luck, crash barriers around the perimeter of the playing area are tall enough and strong enough to support the load that suddenly lands on them.

The barriers form tunnels so that all the people inside can make a safe exit.

It appears that the goal tender is the first to notice that something is amiss after diving onto the ice to stop a puck. He hears a distinctive crack and looks around to see where it came from, ignoring the shots that are being made on net.

Parents at the side of the rink also notice that things are amiss as bits of the roof start to fall down before the centre of the roof buckles under the weight of the snow, pushing downwards.

The building's lights flicker on and off, but fortunately there is enough time for people to get off the ice and towards the exits before the ceiling settles on the floor.

The cameraman then does a lap of the rink looking at the tunnel that has been created by the barriers.

In 2008 he suffered an injury that almost killed him when his neck was sliced by the skate blade of a falling team-mate.

The blade slashed his external carotid artery and left a trail of blood across the ice as he made his way to his team-mates.