Whirlwinds Damage 67 Buildings

Sampang (Antara Bali) - At least 67 buildings have been damaged and destroyed by whirlwinds on the island of Madura off East Java, the local authorities  said on Wednesday .

Head of the Sampang district of the Disaster Control Agency (BPBD) Wisnu Hartono said  whirlwinds hit the regency of Sampang on Tuesday destroying residential houses, houses of worships and other public buildings.

The hardest hit was the village of Madulang, in the sub-0fdistrict of Omben,where nine buildings were leveled to the ground, but no casualty was reported, Wisnu said.

He said the strong winds also damaged food crops in the remote village around 20 kilometers  from the district city of Sampang.

Reports said houses in a number of villages in the neighboring districts of Pamekasan, including Pangtonggal, Lenteng  and Badung in the sub-district of Proppo were also destroyed and damaged by the winds.  
 
Rain triggered landslides  and flooding have left a scene of disaster in various areas in the country  over the past month. (*/DWA)