A tornado struck a beach in Maccarese near Rome in Italy on Sunday, sending tourists scurrying for safety and their belongings flying in the air, with waterspouts also seen forming off the coast
The moment tourists were sent fleeing from a tornado on an Italian beach has been captured in terrifying video footage.
The twister’s surprise strike came on a stretch of beach in Maccarese, Rome on Sunday, sending dozens of beachgoers scurrying for cover. The devastating whirlwind tore umbrellas from the sands and sent them flying across the beach. Over the heads of the fleeing sunseekers, parasols and sand could be seen whirling up into the skies.
However, a handful of hardened holidaymakers stayed put, simply watching on as their towels were caught up in the apocalyptic gust. It comes after a kitesurfer notices a stick in ocean then realises something is alive on the end.
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Local media reports one woman suffered minor injuries as a result, and even needed medical attention.
A separate clip filmed by the captain of a boat at around 1pm on Sunday showed giant waterspouts forming off the coast of Delta del Po, thousands of miles away on the country’s eastern coast.
The video shows the two waterspouts “dancing” before the pair merged into each other, according to the Emilia-Romagna Meteo Facebook page.
Local media outlets claimed the spouts dissolved several times during the spell. Just like tornadoes – waterspouts are rotating columns of air and water mist which form over bodies of water.
The Italian Meteorological Service issued a moderate wind alert on Monday morning, warning tourists and locals of a “moderate intensity weather phenomena” expected in the country’s north.
The IMS told people in the affected region to keep up with weather forecasts and expect disruption to outdoor activities.
Across the continent in Spain, tourists are facing another kind of weather woe as rising temperatures make the popular holiday hotspot an increasingly unpleasant travel destination for Brits.
Seville in Spain may not be the best holiday hotspot this year, according to a tour guide who ditched London for beautiful southern Spain more than two decades ago. Fiona Watson is a journalist and travel writer. When asked about her recommendations for visitors spending an afternoon in Seville, she had clear advice.
She told the Mirror: “Right now in the afternoons they need to be in an air-conditioned room. I wouldn’t recommend going out at all at the moment.
“I flew back from a trip to England 10 days ago and noticed there were no Spanish people on the plane. I thought ‘have you any idea what you’re letting yourself in for?’
“We (locals) do ask ‘why do they come and go to the beach?’ It is not a place to come in the summer.”
Fiona added: “It is great that we have tourists, but it is not a nice place for them to be in the summer. Hopefully they have a siesta in the afternoon.”