A village in Cirebon, West Java Province has been swept by a tornado on Sunday, December 31, killing one person and causing widespread destruction. The powerful winds have reportedly damaged 165 houses in the area.
National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said on his Twitter account that “the puting beliung” (tornado), which took place at around 3.30pm local time, had caused blackouts in most parts of the area. It also caused considerable damage to two Muslim prayer rooms.
Mr. Nugroho showed a video of the tornado and two other videos showing the damage done to the Desa Pangurugan Kulon village.
Pusaran angin dari puting beliung masih berada di langit (atmosfer) sebelum merusak permukiman di Desa Pangurugan Kulon Kec Pangurugan Kabupaten Cirebon pada 30/12/2018 pukul 16.00 WIB. Saat kondisi seperti ini berlindung di bangunan yang kuat dan jangan di bawah pohon. pic.twitter.com/qxEOKnmuTL
— Sutopo Purwo Nugroho (@Sutopo_PN) 30 December 2018
Before the tornado hit the village on Sunday afternoon, the weather was reported to have been cloudy.
Electricity authorities have continued to work to repair power grids damaged by the tornado.
Saat angin puting beliung terjang Desa Pangurugan Kulon Kec Pangurugan Kabupaten Cirebon pada 30/12/2018 pukul 16.15 WIB. 1 orang meninggal dunia, 9 orang luka-luka dan 165 rumah rusak. Penanganan dan pendataan masih dilakulkan oleh BPBD bersama aparat lain. pic.twitter.com/il9f135LlK
— Sutopo Purwo Nugroho (@Sutopo_PN) 30 December 2018
West Java province is located next to Banten province on the main island of Java. Banten and a neighbouring province on Sumatra island were recently hit by a tsunami caused by the partial collapse of Anak Krakatau volcano that caused giant waves to hit ashore, killing more than 430 people.
Source: Straits Times