A powerful waterspout formed a few metres away from shore terrifying residents in the Philippines.

The violent swirl started materialising from the dark clouds above a fishing village in Surigao del Norte province on January 12 morning.

After a few moments, strong winds blew and the long funnel-shaped phenomenon extended to the seawater about 10 metres away from land.

Villager Alfe Garces said: 'We were scared because the wind looked so strong and our houses were only made of wood. They could have been easily blown away.'

Despite being too close to land, the waterspout did not move further and dissipated on its place after almost five minutes. There was heavy rain that followed and no one was reported hurt from the incident.

Waterspouts are intense columns of swirling tornado clouds that form over a body of water.

They are most commonly found in subtropical areas and disappear shortly after they come into contact with land.

Scientists believe they are formed when pockets of warm air near the water surface rise suddenly.

Cooler air is then sucked into the low pressure air, which picks up water and rises towards the clouds in a rotating motion.