This is the astonishing moment a landspout tornado whipped up piles of sand as it spread through a construction site on July 16.

The powerful gust of swirling wind hit the patch of land while trucks were carrying equipment in Battambang, Cambodia.

Footage shows how the tornado flung two large pieces of blue tarpaulin into the air as shocked workers looked on.

The landspout - caused by rapidly rising warm air - quickly dissipated and the dust settled, with the staff having to clear away the mess caused.

One builder said: ''I was too confused to worry about what was happening. I was thinking to myself 'where has that thing come from?'. Then it was over quite quickly.''

Landspouts form when warm air rapidly rises but cools slower than the surrounding dry air. This leads to instability in the air and updrafts.

Shifting winds near the ground's surface then mix with the rising clouds to form a swirling vortex, giving rise to the narrow tornado-like shape cloud.