Dramatic video circulating online, reportedly captured by local resident Rosalba Pipitone, shows a massive funnel cloud churning just off the coast near Marsala, Sicily, as it bears down on the shoreline with buildings and a parked van visible in the frame. The footage comes from an extraordinary weather event on the morning of October 9, when what began as a pair of waterspouts forming simultaneously over the sea near Marsala's port came ashore and tore through the towns of Marsala and neighboring Petrosino. Local outlets reported the storm shattered windows and tore fixtures loose at Marsala's Alcide De Gasperi school while classes were in session, overturned vehicles, downed power and telephone poles, and flung at least one car into a ravine in Petrosino. Residents described scenes of panic as the rotating winds tossed debris through residential streets, with Italian firefighters and civil protection crews responding across multiple neighborhoods, including Strasatti, Terrenove Bambina and Santo Padre delle Perriere.

Authorities say roughly nine to eleven people were injured in the storm, including several children hurt at the school, though officials cautioned Friday that the damage assessment was still ongoing and final numbers could shift. While some reports have floated comparisons to historic Sicilian tornadoes and cited F2-level damage, Italian meteorologists had not yet issued an official strength classification for the twin vortices as of Friday, with some describing the event cautiously as waterspouts that made landfall rather than confirming a formal tornado rating. Local weather watchers noted the storm fits into a broader pattern of increasingly extreme weather along Sicily's coastline in recent years, as the Trapani region works to clear debris and restore power. Emergency health officials in Marsala activated a response plan in case of a larger influx of injured residents, underscoring how seriously local authorities treated the scale of the damage.