A dust devil is being blamed for causing chaos at the pool of a Las Vegas hotel.
And if you find yourself asking, "What is a dust devil?" -- you're not alone.
Dozens of people were relaxing and enjoying themselves on the rooftop pool at the Luxor Hotel and Casino on Friday when what witnesses described as a "mini-tornado" suddenly appeared.
Video posted to TikTok shows a funnel of air picking up pool chairs and throwing people to the ground as bystanders scream in fright.
Melissa White told the Los Angeles Times she was lounging in a daybed when she noticed two large umbrellas fly off and land in the pool.
"Then it just kept going from there. Bags, umbrellas, lounge chairs just shot into the air. Everyone was panicking," she said. "It was just chaos. Then it was just calm and surreal."
Darla Kersten, who was in the pool at the time, told KVVU-TV everything happened so quickly that no one had time to react.
"The water started spinning, and when my friends and I saw that we turned and covered our heads like we would in a tornado drill and then I looked up and saw chairs flying – ran over to get our stuff all of our stuff was gone," she said.
Just as quickly as the dust devil struck, it quickly dissipated. The incident only lasted a few seconds, but the damage was plentiful. Multiple people were reportedly treated for serious injuries.
According to the National Weather Service, a dust devil is a small, rapidly rotating wind vortex made visible by the dust, dirt or debris it picks up. Also called a whirlwind, it develops best on clear, dry, hot afternoons.
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