Fishermen fled when a terrifying waterspout tornado whirled close to their boats in the Philippines.

The anglers were trawling off the coast of Bacon town in Sorsogon province when the twister began forming from dark storm clouds on June 6 afternoon.

The villagers hurried back to shore before they could be swept up by the winds.

Local Angelo Villanueva said: 'We rushed back to dry land when we saw the tornado forming. We were surprised because it formed so close to our boats out of nowhere.'

Waterspout tornadoes form when wind merges from opposite directions near the water's surface, creating a small area of spin. Warm air at the surface causes the spinning air to rotate faster and it starts to rise – picking up water at the same time and forming the distinctive elephant-funnel shape.

As warm air rises, the cooler air moves in below and then rises, too. Sometimes the air spins so fast that it stretches and a funnel appears from the water to the thunderstorm cloud above.

Waterspouts are generally not dangerous but they can be a risk for aircraft flying through the area and for coral reefs and marine life in the water immediately below. Sailors should also try to avoid waterspouts as the power of the wind can cause damage.

They very rarely damage buildings as they dissipate when they reach land. However, they are dangerous of boats caught in their path or aircraft that fly through them.

The Philippines has entered its annual monsoon rainy season which sees soaring temperatures followed by powerful rain storms in the afternoon leading to widespread flash floods.