The destructive tornado occurred on Tuesday and was briefly streamed live on Facebook by one onlooker. The twister churned up dust clouds as it tore through the plains in southeastern Calarasi County, in the Muntenia region, roughly 51 miles from Bucharest, Romania’s capital. According to local Romanian media Libertatea, the tornado caused at least seven injuries and damage to agricultural vehicles and rural facilities.
A bus that was carrying 39 people was lifted by the wind and thrown 10 meters into a nearby field, resulting in the injuries.
Photos taken at the scene showed multiple windows, including the windshield, had been smashed and the bus had been flipped on to its side.
Senior Meteorologist Eric Leister of AccuWeather said: “It looks like a strong cold front triggered severe weather in southern Romania today including that tornado.
“The same storm system produced a thunderstorm that brought strong winds to Bucharest earlier in the day.
“A temperature drop of 15-20 degrees also followed the storm.”
Meteorologists have analysed the footage and explained that the winds from the tornado were lifting dust and dirt from the field up into the air creating the appearance of two sections of the tornado.
The dust and dirt are why the bottom part of the tornado appears darker than the top half that connects to the sky.
Several onlookers who witnessed the twister from the road also stopped to capture photos of the monstrous phenomenon.
According to AccuWeather forecasters, severe weather conditions are expected to continue to impact the region until Thursday.
There will also be intermittent periods of thunderstorms and heavy rain.