This is the scary moment miners scrambled to safety when a massive landslide struck a sand excavation site and buried heavy machinery in Indonesia.

Footage shows workers sprinting away as a huge chunk of earth hurtled down the hillside and kicked up a wave of dust in the Garut Regency of West Java province on August 28 afternoon. The excavator operators are seen tripping over themselves to escape as the avalanche threatened to overtake them.

Leles District Sector Police Chief Erwin Hermawan said: 'There were no fatalities in this incident. However, some heavy equipment was damaged.'

He added that the landslide started out small, but later escalated into a full-blown avalanche.

He said: 'The workers who saw it gave a hazard warning so that people under the cliff could save themselves.'

Local media said the sand excavation site is operating legally and has obtained mining permits from the local government.