City's fear of menacing dust cloud hanging over residents' homes

Residents of a Brazilian city were puzzled by a menacing yet eerily beautifully dust cloud hanging over their homes.

João Paulo Magalhães shared a video of the apocalyptic sight from a petrol station in Teixeira de Freitas, in the south east of the country, on Thursday evening.

As the sunset cast dazzling colours across the spectacle, many others took to social media to document the phenomenon, which looked like a meteorite that had stopped in its tracks.

But the residents' fears were soon assuaged as the cloud broke apart within five minutes, according to Mr Magalhães.

He said: "It really looked like the entrance to a meteorite or something. I was scared too, we thought it would form a tornado."

irenny_ynneri said: 'The work of God is perfect', while irlaneribeirolane, who also shared a photo of the sight, wrote about the religious significance of the cloud column. Photo / Irenny Ynneri

Instagram user irenny_ynneri added: "The work of God is perfect", the Daily Mail reported.

irlaneribeirolane, who also shared a photo of the befuddling sight, wrote a long caption about the religious significance of the cloud column.

Local meteorologists were reported as saying the oddity was a dust cloud.

Breathtaking: Many social media users posted photos on Instagram of the eerie yet beautiful sight in Teixeira de Freitas, in the south east of Brazil. Photo / Instagram

Earlier this month, residents of a town in northern China panicked as an enormous sandstorm engulfed their homes.

Footage taken in Ejina, Inner Mongolia, on August 2 shows the terrifying moment the small town was swallowed by the storm.