Indonesia hit by some of strongest winds recorded

On February 22, 2024, 10:30 PM

Indonesia has been struck by some of the strongest winds recorded in the country, injuring at least 33 people.

Buildings were damaged as the winds tore through the town of Sumedang in West Java province.

Videos uploaded to social media show debris flying through the air, roofs torn from buildings and part of a convenience store collapsing.

A climatologist at government research body BRIN said winds were strong enough to be considered a tornado.

“My father was sitting on our terrace and suddenly he saw plastic just flying and twisting. Not long after that, the strong wind came near my house,” Kay Tiara, a Sumedang resident, told Reuters.

“The roof of my house immediately flew away. My family and I took cover inside my house,” she added.

Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency said no serious injuries have been reported.

Erma Yulihastin, a climatologist at BRIN, told BBC Indonesia that she believes the 65km/h (40mph) threshold had been met for it to be considered a tornado.

However, Indonesia’s Meteorology Climatology and Geophysics Council (BMKG) stopped short of calling it such.

The winds lasted about 20 minutes, Ms Yulihastin said. The previous strongest winds in Indonesia were seen in Cimenyan, Bandung, in 2021, when speeds of 56km/h (35mph) were recorded.