The winds were accompanied by heavy rains yesterday."
Cilacap, Central Java (ANTARA News) - About 46 houses in the Cilacap area were damaged due to strong winds on Friday (January 31) afternoon, the chief of Cilacaps Disaster Mitigation Office, Supriyanto, said here on Saturday.

"The winds were accompanied by heavy rains yesterday. They damaged 46 houses; four of those houses were completely destroyed," Supriyanto added.

According to Supriyanto, the local government will soon deploy logistics support for the victims of the disaster.

The Chief Technician at Cilacaps Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), Teguh Wardoyo, said the wind speed last Friday was recorded at 18 knots, or about 33 kilometers per hour.

"Overall, while the winds were extremely strong on Friday, they should not have been capable of destroying houses," he remarked, adding that his staff are still investigating whether the winds were, in fact, a far more destructive whirlwind.

(Reporting by Sumarwoto/translating and editing by Amie Fenia Arimbi/KR-BSR/F001)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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