A rare pair of waterspouts came ashore in western Sicily on Friday, 9 October, damaging homes, a school, vehicles and farmland around the city of Marsala and the nearby town of Petrosino. Authorities said the extent of the destruction was still being assessed as emergency teams continued their work.

The two swirling columns formed over the sea near Marsala's port, then reached land and moved inland towards the surrounding Trapani area. Marsala is a coastal city on the island's western tip, known for its fortified wine. Footage filmed from the Biscione seafront in Petrosino, near Sibiliana, shows the tornado approaching the mainland from the sea. Local media reported that strong winds flipped cars and damaged buildings.

One of the worst-hit sites was the Terrenove campus of the Alcide De Gasperi school in Marsala, which its headteacher described as destroyed. All 273 children inside were moved to safety by staff, and no serious injuries were reported among pupils or employees. In Petrosino, a car was swept into a ravine, injuring both occupants, who were taken to hospital.

Casualty figures varied as the day went on. Early reports said nine people, including four children, had been treated for minor injuries at Marsala hospital. Later accounts put the total at 11, including two people taken to hospital in nearby Mazara del Vallo. Some reports spoke of two people injured, apparently referring to those in the car in Petrosino.

Thunderstorms moved across the island on Friday. Conditions have since eased across Sicily, but more storms are forecast for parts of the central Mediterranean.

Waterspouts are tornado-like columns of rotating air that form over water. They are usually weaker than the strongest land tornadoes, and a pair striking at once is unusual. The Mediterranean can produce such events, particularly when warm sea surfaces meet unstable air during autumn storms. The episode shows how quickly such phenomena can turn destructive once they move onto populated coastlines, and the fact that a school full of children was hit without serious injuries highlights how close the outcome came to being far worse.