A large tornado struck a villager in northern China, damaging crops.

The video was filmed in the city of Qitaihe in Heilongjiang Province on August 20.

Mr Liu, a local villager, revealed that the tornado was just a few hundred metres away from him. It spiralled from the ground up to the sky and lasted for approximately 20 minutes.

Thankfully, no injuries were reported, but large swathes of corn crops were damaged by the strong winds.

Officials from the local meteorological department have classified it as a weak tornado. Presently, insurance companies have been dispatched to assess the damages to the affected crops in the village.

The video was provided by local media with permission.

8月20日下午1点多，黑龙江七台河勃利青山乡中原村附近出现短时龙卷风。村民刘先生称，龙卷风距他几百米远，从地面一直旋到空中，持续了20分钟左右，没有人员受伤，但是有大片玉米被刮折。另一位村民李先生介绍，当他抬头望去时，他看到一道水柱直冲云霄，十分壮观。这道水柱起初呈现小尖形状，但随后逐渐变得越来越长。在它经过的地方，有庄稼出现倒伏。当地气象部门工作人员判断为弱龙卷风，目前，保险公司已经上门为庄稼受损的村民定损。