A terrifying tornado sparked panic as it ripped through homes in the Philippines.

The destructive weather phenomenon morphed from a thick cluster of storm clouds in Cebu province, on September 10.

It was slowly turning into the funnel-shaped twister over a village and touched land soon after, ravaging structures on its path.

Footage shows gusty whirlwind pounding on roofs and carrying debris as it tore through the area. Scared residents could be heard shouting ‘tornado' and hiding inside their homes.

House owner Joy Ann Bendano said: ‘It was the first time I saw such a thing and it even landed on our compound. What bad luck!'

Some of the roofs were damaged after the incident but no injuries were reported.

Tornadoes are dangerous packed with winds of more than 350kilometres per hour speed. This is enough to destroy houses and lift heavy objects along its path but most injuries and deaths recorded were due to falling and flying debris.