THIS is the terrifying moment tourists screamed in horror as a fighter jet skimmed frighteningly close to a packed Spanish beach.

Astonishing video captures a Spanish Air Force EF-18 Hornet zooming over San Lorenzo Beach, its nose plunging towards the water before ascending mere meters from beachgoers.

The military jet, emitting trails of dark smoke, is shown flipping upside down in mid-air, then descending so low it seems to nearly touch the sand.

Tourists relaxing on the beach are spotted reaching for their phones to record the jaw-dropping maneuver, with some letting out screams of surprise as the aircraft roared above them.

In another clip, groups of spectators watching from a nearby hill can be heard raising their voices in alarm as the supersonic beast tore through the air.

The hair-raising display took place during the nineteenth edition of the Gijón Air Festival, held on Sunday over San Lorenzo Bay in Asturias.

Around 250,000 people flock to the annual event, which has been wowing crowds since 2006 and is considered one of Spain’s biggest aeronautical spectacles.

After its perilous near-miss, the fighter jet continued its flight away from the crowded shoreline, leaving shaken tourists staring in disbelief.

But online, viewers were divided over whether the death-defying maneuver was intentional — or a risky slip-up.

“Very risky maneuver… is that allowed?” one user asked on TikTok.

Another on Reddit suggested: “For me it looked like he lost too much height during the roll and pulled up too hard, making him lose a lot of speed, unintentionally.

“Could be the perspective, too.”

Others, however, were left awestruck.

One thrilled festival-goer declared: “I witnessed that live and it was one of the best things I’ve seen in a long time.”

It comes as terrified beachgoers in Sardinia were forced to flee when a raging wildfire tore across the popular Punta Molentis coastline.

Holidaymakers dropped towels and sunbeds as smoke engulfed the golden sand, with flames creeping right up to the water’s edge in the blistering 34C heat.

More than 100 people had to be rescued by sea after escape routes were cut off, while firefighters battled the inferno with Canadair water bombers, helicopters and even an Italian Air Force aircraft.

Cars parked by the shore were left reduced to twisted metal after the blaze ripped through a beach parking area, torching around 200 vehicles and a kiosk.

Local media said a “jewel” of the Sarrabus coast had been destroyed, with footage showing families scrambling to safety as thick plumes of grey and black smoke filled the sky.

The Sardinia fire is the latest in a series of Mediterranean infernos, with Turkey enduring a deadly 50C heatwave that has already claimed four lives and forced 3,500 people to evacuate.

Greece has also been ravaged, with wildfires sweeping villages near Athens and scorching parts of the Aegean islands after a week-long heatwave pushed temperatures beyond 45C.

A blaze even tore through a northern suburb of Athens at the weekend, forcing panicked residents to flee their homes.