Dozens injured and buildings damaged as tornadoes hit Sicily

0:50Powerful tornado in western Sicily leaves trail of devastation – videoDozens injured and buildings damaged as tornadoes hit Sicily Marsala on the island’s west coast badly affected after powerful storm approached from the Mediterranean

Two tornadoes struck the coastal town of Marsala in western Sicily on Friday, injuring dozens of people, damaging buildings including a school and overturning cars.

A series of videos that began circulating late on Friday morning showed two waterspouts approaching the Sicilian town from the sea as people braced for their arrival.

Dozens of people were reported injured, with at least 11 taken to hospital after being struck by flying debris and shattered glass. Among the most seriously injured was a 70-year-old man admitted to Mazara del Vallo hospital in critical condition, suffering multiple fractures.

A school was also hit by the powerful winds, leaving six children with minor cuts and abrasions. At the time the tornado struck, 273 pupils were inside the building, all of whom were safely evacuated. Drone footage showing the aftermath revealed extensive damage to the school, with windows shattered and desks and chairs overturned.

View image in fullscreenExtensive damage to buildings and cars in Marsala after a tornado struck the west coast of Sicily on Friday. Photograph: Antonio Cascio/ReutersIn recent years, southern Italy had been bracing for the arrival of what forecasters describe as a “medicane” – a rare Mediterranean storm with hurricane-like characteristics, capable of producing winds exceeding 60 miles an hour and waves reaching five metres in height.

The weather system developed amid intense heat over north Africa and unusually warm Mediterranean waters. Scientists have warned that rising sea temperatures, driven by the climate emergency, can provide additional energy for powerful storms in the region.

According to experts, record temperatures in the Mediterranean contributed to the freak storm that sank the Bayesian, a superyacht off the coast of Sicily, in August 2024, killing seven people including the tech tycoon Mike Lynch and his teenage daughter.