This is the scary moment a dust devil tornado formed along a road before engulfing onlookers and whipping up a vortex of leaves.

Footage shows the warm air column twisting outside homes in Prachinburi province, Thailand, on February 8. The dust devil seemed to fade for a moment, before reappearing while collecting more sand.

Onlooker Pawanrat Lasiyom said: 'When I saw it, I wasn't scared. I thought it was interesting how it moved around and dragged all the light objects up in the air.'

The whirlwind dissolved on its own around five minutes later without leaving any damage. No one was reported hurt from the incident.

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.