The whirlwind, which appeared after sudden hail, caused the collapse of the facade of the church of San Nicola which in turn damaged surrounding houses.

In Marina Serra the rectory also collapsed, while along the coast toward Tiggiano many walls and have trees have fallen.

Solar panels, street lights and street signs have also been damaged.

Another tornado hit between the communes of Botricello and Cropani Marina, Calabria, between the provinces of Catanzaro and Crotone.

The force of the wind has ripped off some building roofs and damaged a series of greenhouses.

At this point no people have been hurt; however there have been many calls for rescue made to the Provincial Command of firefighters of Catanzaro.

A third tornado hit in the late morning on Sunday in the zone of Crotone, Calabria.

The most badly affected area is the locality of Passovecchio, with its numerous shopping centres.

Some people have been hit by objects thrown by the wind, and have suffered minor injuries.

More weather disturbances are forecast for the next days, with bad weather effects being felt especially in the central-southern regions of Italy.

Epson Weather Centre meteorologists have predicted a storm coming in from Algeria, which will bring rains and intense thunderstorms on the western Tyrrhenian Sea coast of Italy.

The weather should begin to calm from Wednesday.