A tornado sows destruction across Northern Italy.

Amateur videographers filmed the twister ripping through the Emilio Romagna region on Friday.

Twelve people were injured, while hundreds of buildings were also damaged.

One farmer says he was tending to his fields when the winds started to pick up suddenly.

(SOUNDBITE) (Italian) FARMER, SANDRO ROVERSI, SAYING:

"I couldn't move, it came so quickly. I was inside my tractor, so I threw myself underneath, and I was OK. It was an enormous force, enormous."

The destruction to farmland and property caused by the tornado, hail and torrential rain is estimated to be worth millions of euros.

Local officials have called on the government to declare a state of emergency.