Terrified residents fled as a raging tornado ripped through their homes in Indonesia.

Footage shows locals fleeing with their belongings as the twister started to gain strength with dark clouds looming overhead in Lampung on February 4.

Only seconds later, the whirlwind became stronger and swept roofs into the air, destroying hundreds of homes.

Residents sought refuge under the bigger house, waiting for the vortex to pass.

Lampung Province Regional Disaster Management Agency Disaster Analyst Wahyu Hidayat said: 'As a result of this strong wind, hundreds of affected houses suffered light to moderate damage. No one was hurt.'

Lampung Province Regional Disaster Management Agency said the damage extended across several districts.

The organisation said: 'In Labuhan Maringgai District, 158 houses were damaged. Another 15 were affected in Gunung Agung Village, Sekampung Udik District, and two houses were affected in Mekar Sari Village, Pasir Sakti District.

'Six more were damaged in Waway Karya District, 15 houses and one building was affected in Brajamas Village, Way Jepara District, and another 13 houses in Way Areng Village, Mataram Baru District.'

A tornado is a violent rotating column of air that extends from a thunderstorm to the ground. It can cause significant damage to anything in its path.

It is created when warm, moist air collides with cold, dry air, causing instability in the atmosphere and leading to rotating air currents.