Questions swirl as Hu Jintao escorted out of Great Hall

Former Chinese president Hu Jintao was unexpectedly led out of the closing ceremony of the Communist Party Congress in a dramatic moment that disrupted the highly choreographed event.

Hu's departure was left unexplained, and the nation's censors appeared to quickly scrub any recent references to him from the internet.

The frail-looking 79-year-old seemed reluctant to leave the front row of proceedings at Beijing's Great Hall of the People, where he was sitting next to President Xi Jinping.

A steward attempted to take a sitting Hu by the arm before being shaken off. The steward then tried to lift Hu up with both hands from under the armpits.

After an exchange of about a minute, in which Hu spoke briefly with Xi and Premier Li Keqiang, he was led out of the hall.

A seated Xi was filmed holding papers down on the desk as Hu tried to grab them.

Hu patted Li's shoulder as he left with most of his colleagues stared firmly ahead.

China'sstate media later said the former leader was "not feeling well".

The week-long Congress took place mostly behind closed doors, but Hu's departure occurred shortly after journalists were allowed in to cover the closing ceremony.

"We still don't know what caused Hu's actions, such as whether it was opposition to Xi's power or simply an unfortunately timed senior moment," said Neil Thomas, a senior China analyst at the Eurasia Group consultancy.

"Whether it was deliberate, or he was unwell, the effect is the same. Complete humiliation for the last generation of pre-Xi leadership," tweeted analyst Alex White.