This is the chaotic moment terrified pupils fled from an enormous dust devil that formed inside a school in Indonesia.

The children were playing on the football field at break time when gusty winds swirled across the dried dirt surface in West Java province, on October 17.

Scared youngsters grabbed their bags and ran to safety while teachers called them as the weather phenomenon reached more than 50ft-high.

Footage shows kids running away from the vortex as it strengthened and gathered dust at Karangsegar Elementary School.

Local Annisa, whose relative studied at the school, said: ‘The tornado suddenly appeared. The children were happy playing, and they were panicking and running away the next thing we knew.'

The dust devil extended to a dark cloud above, but it thinned out and was gone in less than two minutes.

Bekasi Regency Disaster Management Agency officials said the vortex did not cause any casualties or damage.

However, he appealed to residents to remain vigilant because extreme weather is expected to happen in the coming days.

He said: ‘We urge residents to remain vigilant because extreme weather with moderate to high-intensity rain is expected until October 21, so if there is no need to go out, it is better to stay at home.'

Dust devils are a type of whirlwind tornado that form when the sun heats a patch of land and the air above becomes warmer and rises quickly.

Cooler air then moves into the low-pressure gap left by the rising warm air. The new drafts of cooler air also heat up, rise and the cycle continues, picking up dust and debris making the spiral visible.