Dozens injured and buildings damaged as tornadoes hit Sicily

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

A series of videos began to circulate on Friday morning showing 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 a critical condition with several 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.

In recent years, people in southern Italy have been bracing for the arrival of 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 super yacht off the coast of Sicily, in August 2024, killing seven people including the tech tycoon Mike Lynch and his teenage daughter.