2 injured, 50 houses damaged after Kedah is hit by another 'twister'

A YouTube screengrab of a 'twister' in Alor Star, taken by a passer-by. -- PHOTO: SCREENSHOT FROM YOUTUBE
A YouTube screengrab of a 'twister' in Alor Star, taken by a passer-by. -- PHOTO: SCREENSHOT FROM YOUTUBE

ALOR STAR (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Another "twister" slammed into the Malaysian state of Kedah on Friday, leaving at least two people injured and 50 houses damaged.

One of the victims, Mr Mohd Nizam Hamzah, 46, of Kampung Sungai Baru, managed to video record the twister from about 100m away with his mobile phone as it spun away after hitting his house at about 4.30pm.

"Almost the whole roofing of my house was carried away by the strong wind," he said.

The wind almost flattened the house of Mr Abd Khadir Said, 51, in the same village.

His 15-year-old son Mohd Sharif who was alone in the house at that time, sustained some minor cuts at the back of his body, which was caused by the falling debris of the roof.

"This is the first time I've encountered a windstorm," said Mr Khadir, who has been living in the village for the past 20 years.

He estimated his losses to be about RM30,000 (S$11,650).

Another villager, Mr Shapul Bahari Osman, 50, said he was in the middle of prayers at about 4.30pm when he heard a strong wind and loud noise similar to an aircraft landing from outside his house.

"I hugged my wife and took cover at the hall of our house as the strong wind ripped off the roof. I will need more than RM10,000 to repair my home," Mr Shapul Bahari said.

He said about a dozen of the 100-odd houses in the village were damaged by the windstorm.

The other areas hit included Kampung Batin, Taman Inang and Mergong.

Mohd Alif Fakih Ramli, 14, from Kampung Ujung Mergong, sustained head injuries and received outpatient treatment at the Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital after he was hit by a piece of flying wood while fishing at a nearby padi field during the windstorm.

A survey by The Star in the affected areas saw dozens of houses damaged and many trees uprooted.

Villagers were seen looking helpless outside their homes. Traffic was also unusually busy and jammed up roads in the affected villages.

Kedah Fire and Rescue Department operations officer Supt Rahimi Ali said firemen cut up and removed the uprooted trees at Taman Mergong Jaya and Taman Inang after the windstorm.

On Oct 14, a twister lashed Kampung Alor Besar in Pendang, 25km from here, blowing away the roofs of eight houses, uprooting trees and toppling electricity poles.

Several houses collapsed under the fallen trees. No injuries were reported in the 4pm windstorm.

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