A powerful tornado-like windstorm ripped through an industrial construction site in Batam, Indonesia on Wednesday, July 22, sending massive roof panels and building materials flying through the air as workers desperately scrambled to safety.
The extreme weather event struck PT VME Process industrial area in Tanjung Sengkuang, Batu Ampar during heavy rain. Dramatic videos circulating online showed the storm rapidly intensifying over the site as powerful winds tore into a workshop structure.
In the footage, large metal roofing sheets can be seen being lifted and thrown violently by the wind. The workshop was damaged as the storm swept through the industrial area and workers ran away from the structure to escape flying debris.
The sudden nature of the storm caused panic at the site. Witnesses and workers could be heard warning others to move away as the wind intensified. The storm lasted only a short time but caused significant damage to parts of the workshop and scattered construction materials across the area.
Local reports described the incident as a ‘puting beliung’, an Indonesian term for a strong local windstorm or tornado-like event. The storm hit the PT VME industrial region in Batam’s Batu Ampar district on Wednesday morning, with the incident occurring around late morning.
Police and local authorities were on the scene after the damage had been found and local authorities were notified. Batu Ampar Police Chief Kompol Amru Abdullah said officers searched the area and that there were no casualties. Local reports also told us workers were not only able to get away from the most dangerous areas during the storm. ([iNews.ID][1])
The damaged workshop was an older structure, local security officials said, according to the report. The extent of damage was still being assessed by local authorities and company personnel once the weather had passed, they said.
Police also remained present in the area to secure the site and prevent people from going to the area or looking at the scattered construction materials and damaged areas of the workshop. The situation was reported to have calmed after the strong winds subsided. ([iNews.ID][1])
The situation gained momentum as video of the storm and workers fleeing the area spread through social media. The wind ripped apart sections of the industrial structure and sent huge amounts of roofing material into the air, the footage showed.
The Batam incident comes at a time when there are still growing concerns over rapidly developing and severe weather events in areas of Indonesia. So far the damage assessment and workers’ safety are to be the top priority and it is expected that weather conditions will be monitored in the region,” he added.
For now, the most welcome relief is that no deaths have been reported as a result of the PT VME Process storm; yet the destruction was dramatic shown in the video. ([iNews.ID][1])
