This is the shocking moment gale-force winds clear away an entire restaurant of people who flee for their lives as tables, chairs, glasses, and food are swept away by the powerful gusts in China.

Footage was taken during a storm in Nanyang City, Henan, on August 20.

The video clip initially shows people sitting around the tables in plastic chairs and enjoying the evening.

Panic erupts when chairs from a restaurant strike the seated customers, causing them to flee. Waiters rush over to save some of the furniture before it is swept away.

Seconds later, a stronger gust sweeps everything away, leaving what was just minutes ago a busy restaurant empty and deserted, with only a few pieces of cutlery and broken glass remaining on the floor.

People standing at the side out of the wind can only watch as their meals, drinks, and the furniture they had been sitting on disappear into the distance.

The store owner later said: 'I know did not get paid, I also lost an entire restaurant of tables and chairs. I estimate I ended up about CNY 10,000 (GBP 1,061) out of pocket.'