Video shows soccer player's whirlwind brush with dust devil

A dust devil tore through a soccer field in Achocalla, Bolivia, earlier this week, interrupting a local soccer game but causing no serious damage.

The dust devil spun up in broad daylight as players and referees gathered on the pitch. Most ran out of the way of the dust devil, which was rapidly rotating as it made its way across the field. As the dust devil twirled across the ground, it even picked up a loose piece of clothing and hurled it into the air.

At least one player calmly let the dust devil overtake him, escaping with no apparent injury - but a unique story to tell. The dust devil dissipated as quickly as it formed, ending in a cloud of dust.

Dust devils are often mistaken for tornadoes, which form as part of a thunderstorm and are connected to a cloud. While mostly harmless, dust devils pack wind speeds that can top 60 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service.

A strong dust devil can pose a danger to small structures, which can be damaged or even destroyed by a dust devil's winds. While rare, these types of whirlwinds can cause injuries and even fatalities.

A powerful dust devil tore through a packed tourist attraction in China's Shangqiu City in 2019, lifting a bouncy castle into the air, tragically killing two children and injuring 20 others.

A powerful dust devil left two children dead after it sent an inflatable bouncy house airborne in central China’s Shangqiu City in March 2019. (Reuters)

Reuters

Dust devils can be strong enough to lift people and animals off the ground - a dust devil in Virginia earlier this year appeared to briefly lift a 70-pound dog into the air, NBC 29 Charlottesville reported.

Dust devils form when there is strong surface heating, often under totally clear skies and with only light winds, according to the NWS. They often form where two different surface types meet, such as asphalt and dirt.

Dust devils are not just an earthly phenomenon, either. Dust devils have been observed by rovers on Mars. Martian dust devils can grow to be bigger and stronger than those on Earth; one was measured to be more than 12 miles high, according to Space.com.

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