Huge waterspout forms off Italian coast before sweeping through city in rare weather phenomenon

Freak natural occurrence causes damage to properties in northern town of Sanremo

Remarkable footage has surfaced of a waterspout forming off the Italian coast before tearing through a city.

Video shows the vortex being whipped up on Friday near Sanremo, in the north west of the country close to the French border.

The huge funnel of water is seen looming over buildings – a phenomenon which lasted for several minutes.

The waterspout caused extensive damage to the city, tearing chimneys from rooftops, damaging cars and injuring at least one person, according to local reports.

"The waterspouts seem to be over, but there are large problems on the ground and there remains a situation of great care,” Sanremo mayor Alberto Bancheri told Italian newspaper Il Tempo.

“The rescue is in motion. None of the firefighters, municipal police and Civil Defence Volunteers working on the ground have been injured.

“But, there are several problems in many areas and the danger that unsafe objects, not yet secured, may fall.”

Waterspouts are columns of cloud formed over bodies of water, which begin to rotate.

The funnels can last for up to an hour, although their average lifespan is around five to 10 minutes.

Northern Italy has been hit by snow and storms in the last few days, leading to a weather alerts being issued in the region of Lombardy and the city of Turin.