Tornado Hits Batam, Damages Hundreds of Houses

Jakarta Globe January 09, 2013


A tornado struck the Riau Islands city of Batam on Wednesday afternoon, damaging hundreds of houses and injuring a child.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) said the tornado struck at 3:30 p.m. and badly damaged 29 houses, moderately damaged 102 houses and inflicted slight damage on 96 houses.

Two mosques, a government office and a gas station were among other buildings harmed by the tornado, the BNPB said in a press statement on Wednesday.

Only a 10-year-old boy named M. Raihan was reported to be seriously injured by the tornado.

“[The tornado] caused estimated losses of Rp 509 million [$52,000],” the head of the Riau office of the BNPB, Munzir, said in the statement.

He added that nobody was evacuated despite the damages.