A young mother has been beaten to death in a Chinese McDonald’s after refusing to give a man her phone number.

The victim, believed to be in her 20s, was beaten to death by a man and his friends after refusing the man’s advances.

Witnesses say that the six men kicked the victim’s head and then beat her with an iron bar until it broke.

Video footage of the attack, which is circulating online, has caused uproar as it shows other customers watching on and failing to intervene.

The victim was having dinner with friends at the fast food chain and was unknown to the men.

Emergency crews pronounced the woman dead at the scene, which is across the road from a local police station.

The six men have been arrested by police, who allege that they are members of a religious cult that calls itself ‘All-powerful spirit’.

The area of Shandong province in eastern China where the attack took place is a traditional hotbed for religious cults, according to a Daily Mail report.