Moment towering waterspout tornado slams into beach in Italy sending parasols flying into air as panicked tourists flee

THIS is the shocking moment a waterspout tornado slams into a popular Italian beach – sending parasols flying into the sky and tourists fleeing. Wild footage captures the huge vortex of water and air wreaking havoc in the holiday hotspot of Messina, in southern Italy. Parasols and beach furniture are seen thrown across the beach Credit: meteo.ansa.it Wild footage captures the huge vortex of water forming as tourists flee Footage shows the terrifying twister forming beneath grey clouds in the sky as it approaches the shore and sucks in several parasols on the beach. The funnel cloud then spits out the parasols and sends sunbeds flying. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Several beach beds can be seen floating several feet in the air, with some crashing down close to nearby buildings on the beach. There were moments of chaos for swimmers and tourists as they ran to safety. Brave holidaymakers watched from a safe distance as the vortex smashed into the beach. The tornado initially formed very quickly over the sea before barrelling towards the beach in just a few minutes. This phenomenon is known as a waterspout, a spinning column of air and mist that forms over a body of water. Waterspouts occur when cool air meets warm water below and winds from different directions cause it to spin like a tornado. Most read in The Sun One parasols was seen slamming into nearby buildings The waterspout approached the beach where it caused chaos Credit: meteo.ansa.it They are known to be strong and can cause serious damage despite their short life. Once they hit land, they often become weaker and disappear. It comes as storms and extreme weather have tormented Italy this summer. Last week, a tornado hit Cremona, in northern Italy, causing widespread destruction. Italy’s fire brigade said they received more than 500 emergency calls within a few short hours. Dozens of people were injured and ten churches, including the city’s main cathedral, were damaged. The city was then hit by an aggressive hailstorm which damaged 10,000 cars, destroyed several roofs, and caused hundreds of trees to fall. Emergency services said: “Most (of the injured) have been discharged, one remains under observation, while four trauma patients require hospitalization.” On June 3, Rome was also struck by a tornado, which caused similar destruction to the city’s buildings, infrastructure, and cars. Tornadoes are quite rare in Italy but Italy’s civil protection agency said that there have been “no watches or warnings” for the onslaught that has recently battered the country. Comment now