A tornado struck a small southern Italian island in the Mediterranean on Friday, killing two people and injuring others.
The firefighters said the tornado hit Pantelleria island, south of Sicily, just before 7 PM (17:00 GMT).
“Utility poles bent over, roofs damaged and trees knocked down,” they said in a tweet.
The tornado injured nine people, including two in critical condition, Vincenzo Vittorio Campo, Pantelleria Mayor, told Sky TG24 TV.
However, no one seemed missing on the island, the mayor added.
The vast dry island resides between Sicily and Tunisia; it has only a few thousand inhabitants.
Footage from the civil protection agency showed several upside-down vehicles and a building hit by a car flung in the air.
Notably, one car landed on its roof while other cars ended up on their cracked front end.
“The Tornado’s whirl hit and overturned six cars,” the agency posted on Facebook.
An unknown paramedic at the scene told ANSA news agency that “It was an apocalyptic sight.”
According to ANSA, an Italian news agency, an off-duty firefighter stationed on the island and an 86-year-old elderly died.
The victims were in two different cars, which were among nearly 10 vehicles the tornado forcibly flung into the air, ANSA added.
“It’s difficult to accept such a thing. It’s a huge pain,” Vincenzo Campo, mayor of Pantelleria, wrote on Facebook.
On Saturday, ANSA reported that rescuers were still searching for any possible missing people.
Moreover, they were working relentlessly to reopen the tornado-hit roads.
Meanwhile, a medical helicopter from a nearby hospital in Lampedusa island prepared to help once the weather conditions improved, ANSA added.
Pantelleria is famous for its volcanic hills and hot spring water, which regularly attracts famous actors, musicians and stars from Sting to Giorgio Armani.
