A tornado hit the small historic fishing town of Zierikzee in the Netherlands on Monday, blowing the roofs off several houses and causing several casualties.

At least one person died and 10 others were injured as the whirlwind left a trail of damage in several streets, according to the Zeeland province safety authority.

Emergency services were still assessing the extent of the damage, it said in a statement.

Videos of waterspout posted online

Video posted on social media showed a waterspout close to the town.

Zierikzee is located about 140 kilometers (87 miles) southwest of Amsterdam and has some 10,000 residents.

According to Dutch public broadcaster NOS, the Netherlands experiences several tornadoes a year, but the last fatal one to hit the country was in 1992.

The tornado came as a storm front was crossing the Netherlands from south to north, causing heavy rain in some parts of the country.

tj/wd (AFP, AP)