A waterspout that rose a mile into the air baffled residents of a village in India on June 8.

It tore off the tin roof of a cattle shed and the metal covers of petrol pumps but swirled away from the village without causing any injuries.

The residents of Ranmala village near Nazre dam in Maharashtra had never seen the ‘tornado-like phenomenon’ before. They thought they had witnessed a supernatural force.

After local media carried accounts of bewildered villagers, a three-member team of the Pune-based Centre for Citizen Science (CCS) visited the location on June 9.

They interviewed eyewitnesses, collected photographs and videos and concluded that the Maharashtra may have witnessed its first ever tornado.

The phenomenon reportedly lasted from between 90 to 120 seconds and covered a total distance of 800 to 1,000 metres.

Dr J R Kulkarni, a senior meteorologist at CCS, said, “Our team concluded that the tornado moved at intensity from F0 to F5 (Fugita scale). The eyewitnesses said that rains followed the tornado.”

A ‘water sprout’ that rose a mile high in the sky baffled residents of a village in India, on June 8.

It tore up tin roof of cattle shelters and metal covers of motor pumps, but left without causing much collateral damage or loss of life.

The residents of Ranmala village near Nazre dam in Maharashtra had never seen the ‘tornado-like phenomenon’ earlier. They thought they had witnessed a supernatural force.

After local media carried accounts of bewildered villagers, a three-member team of the Pune-based Centre for Citizen Science (CCS) visited the location on June 9.

They interviewed eyewitnesses, collected photographs and videos and concluded that the Maharashtra may have witnessed its first ever reported tornado.

The phenomenon reportedly lasted for a duration was around 90 to 120 seconds and covered a total distance of 800 to 1,000 metres.

Dr J R Kulkarni, a senior meteorologist at CCS, said, “Our team concluded that the tornado moved at intensity from F0 to F5 (Fugita scale). The eyewitnesses said that rains followed the tornado.”