A young man, in a moment of madness, threw about 20,000 yuan ($3,200) around a railway station in Southwest China's Chongqing on Wednesday, Chongqing Morning Post reported on Sunday.

Hundreds of 100-yuan banknotes were scattered around the waiting room at Qianjiang railway station at about 8 pm. Passengers were scrambling for the money, when the police of the station hurried to the scene.

The police sealed the room and retrieved all 19,040 yuan within 10 minutes, including 2,000 yuan collected by people at the scene and the money lying on the ground.

Police said carrying the large amount of money had placed the young man under excessive strain, which led to his breakdown.

According to the newspaper, Xiang worked at a construction site in Xinjiang's Shanshan county and was on his way to his hometown in Guizhou province to spend Spring Festival.

Xiang said the money was part of his salary paid to him and four colleagues. Because some of his co-workers went home earlier, he helped collect their salary on their behalf to distribute to them at home.

He also planned to use the money to pay for his parents, who live in a mountainous area in Guizhou, to have a physical examination.

"If I lost the money, I'd be sorry to all of them," the newspaper quoted the man as saying.

The police contacted the man's wife, who arrived in Chongqing from Guizhou on Thursday and would take care of the money.