Two waterspouts tear through Sicilian city of Marsala, flipping cars and shattering school windows with children inside

From the Newshound archive · first published 9 October 2026.

A pair of waterspouts swept inland at Marsala in southern Sicily this morning, causing widespread destruction across the city within minutes. Cars were overturned and dumped in roadside ditches, farm warehouses were destroyed, telephone poles toppled and trees uprooted. The Alcide De Gasperi school was struck while children and staff were inside, shattering windows and sending cabinets crashing to the floor. Several people have been injured and emergency workers are fielding hundreds of calls.

Regional politician Cristina Ciminnisi described 'destroyed houses, torn roofs, overturned cars, and a school hit while children were inside.'

One resident said: 'I've never been afraid of dying like I was a few hours ago — in two minutes it became four times bigger.'

The storm system moving across Sicily made the waterspouts far more destructive than the tornadoes that occasionally form over the island.