Cars flipped, school devastated as violent twister rips through popular city
Dramatic footage captures the Marsala tornado overturning vehicles and destroying a school as officials call it the worst storm in living memory.
A powerful tornado tore through a popular vacation destination Friday, overturning vehicles and damaging buildings — and leaving at least two people seriously injured.
The tornado swept through Marsala, a city on the western coast of Sicily, roughly 55 miles southwest of Palermo.
Dramatic footage showed the tornado swirling through the city, sending debris flying as powerful winds battered the area.
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The tornado overturned vehicles and seriously injured at least two people on Friday, Reuters reported.
A school was also said to be damaged by the storm, along with at least one house. Damage was reported in nearby Petrosino and Mazara del Vallo, as well as Marsala.
Video reviewed by Reuters also showed blown-out windows and a partially collapsed ceiling at a school in Marsala, while cars and trucks lay overturned.
In addition, downed utility poles littered the streets.
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Salvatore Cocina, the head of Sicily's Civil Protection agency, told Reuters the scene was "almost like an American tornado."
"Nothing this violent has been seen in living memory," he said.
"It once again highlights the issue of extreme weather events, a characteristic of recent years due to the climate crisis," he added.
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Sicily's Civil Protection agency warned in September that a recent heat wave could contribute to extreme weather, Reuters reported.
In a translated Friday statement obtained by Fox News Digital, Sicily's regional councilor for education, Mimmo Turano, said officials were working to secure funding for repairs after the tornado severely damaged the school in Marsala.
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"The situation is serious, the school is no longer there and many companies have been affected by this tragedy," Turano said.
"Together with President Schifani, we will implement every intervention useful to support the entire area," he added.
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The tornado is the latest in a string of dangerous incidents to strike the Italian island in recent months.
Earlier this summer, an American tourist was stranded in Sicily after volcanic activity from Mount Etna disrupted flights, forcing her to scramble for an alternative route home to New York.
In August, a 29-year-old American tourist from Kansas was killed by a lightning strike while hiking Sicily's Mount Etna.
Reuters contributed reporting.