This is the moment crabs that were supposed to be dead break out of their containers on the chiller counter of a supermarket fish counter.

The freshly caught crabs were still a bit too lively when they were wrapped in cellophane on styrofoam trays and put on sale in Rikuzentakata, a city in Iwate Prefecture, Japan.

Chilling phone video footage shows some of the crabs gradually emerging from their plastic tombs.

One is seen using its claws to break through the cellophane to make a hole it can climb out of.

As the video continues, a second crab escapes its styrofoam tray and then appears to peel back the clingfilm.

The footage ends before showing any more of the crabs breaking out.

But the clip is going viral on social media, with many users saying it showed the crabs being “tortured”.

One said: “They are so fresh that I would rather keep them than buy them and eat them.”

Another commented: “This is what it must be like to wake up in the Matrix.”

It is currently unclear if the crabs still ended up on a dinner plate or if they won their freedom.

A number of scientific studies have shown that crabs can experience pain, but this has not stopped them from being packaged while they are still alive.